BBM: Dusk Before the Dawn
by Cool Cat 2000
Summary: Sequel to Bonds Beyond Magic. The war between the light and darkness is near. The Dark Signers are now making their move with the help of a dark magic unknown to the Signers. Ayame Muto has prevailed through the Fortune Cup with and without her magical abilities. Her destiny is coming with each battle. Can she fulfill it in sake of the Signers? Or will Ayame succumb to the shadows?
1. Prologue: Escape!

**C.C.: I am ashamed. This somewhat follows the show.**

 **Jack: Tch. Haven't you done that this entire time?**

 **Kara: Yeah. But this is wayyyy different now. Heehee. This is just the beginning of the Dark Signer arc for BBM.**

 **Yugi: That doesn't sound good. And 'BBM'?**

 **Ayame: It's not. It never is now a days. And Yugi, BBM stands for 'Bonds Beyond Magic'.**

 **Luna: Where's Leo? He's been gone this entire time.**

 **C.C.: Feh. You'll have to ask my muses. Just know he's still alive. Jack! We need the disclaimer!**

 **Jack: Cool Cat 2000 doesn't own Yugioh 5D's or any of its characters. Emphasis on 'any of its characters'.**

 **C.C.: (He actually did the gizmatchee) But Ayame is mine, so no touchy! Oh, and someone in the end belongs to Shimmering-Sky. So, no touchy touchy on that one especially. Or Destiny, Kara, and Seth will have to kill you.  
**

* * *

 **Ayame's POV**

The crowd is chanting our, Yugi and I's, names. There are technically a ton of reporters on the track right now behind a gate. And to top it off, Yugi and I are in an amount of extreme of pain. I have no idea what had just happened during our duel. Here I am on my knees, panting. My arm stops glowing and the mark vanishes afterward. _'Typical.'_ As soon as this happens, the grey statues of our dragons disappear as well.

I look up to see Yugi still flat on his back. He's probably unconscious because that duel looked like it really had taken a lot more out of him than it did me. Plus, I couldn't feel anything from him and for once I'm actually trying to.

When I try to stand up, I almost fall over. My foot caught my body by taking a half step forward. Next thing that happens are the paramedics rushing over to Yugi's side. They put him on a gurney and rush away just as they did with Jack. _'First, Jack. Now, Yugi,'_ I bitterly think. I take another step forward just to end up falling over.

Here, a strong pair of arms caught me. My eyes remained on where they took my brother away. "Do you think…..he'll be okay?"

"He's been through worse," Yusei answers.

"Yusei! Ayame!"

We look over to the direction of Leo's voice while he, Yanagi, and Tanner were sprinting towards us. Tanner had dashed off elsewhere on the stage. "Hey, guys," Yusei greets when they stop in front of us, "everything okay?"

"We're fine! But you're about to face a brand new enemy!" The old man replies then points to the reporters behind the gate, "The media!"

I stand up straight while we look at the many flashing cameras. Unfortunately, the only thing that was keeping them out broke down. "They're loose!" Leo shouts.

"Ah!" Yusei gasps while taking a step back. Seriously, when will the problems end for at least ten seconds?

"Better rev it up," Tanner insists behind us while pushing my duel runner.

"Coming," I nervously reply. I take a step to start sprinting until I almost fall over again. Yusei gets in front of me and kneels down on one knee and looks back at me.

"Climb on," He tells me. The reporters too close for comfort, I nod and do so while wrapping my arms around his neck. He stands back up as he puts his hands under my legs, so I won't fall off, before running after the others. I exhaustedly shut my eyes.

When I open them, we were all in a dark- "abandoned service tunnel," Tanner finishes my thought, kind of.

Tanner was to our right pushing my runner, the old guy was pushing Yusei's. Honestly, I didn't even know he had it in him. "How'd you know this was down here," Dexter asks.

"A guy like me knows these things," He answers.

"That, and Blister told you," Leonidas remarks on Yusei's shoulder next to a blue-looking bakugan. What the….

"Yusei," I say. He looks back at me using the corner of his eye.

"You're awake," He says.

I nod with my eyes still on the _two_ bakugan on his shoulders, "Why are there two bakugan?"

"Is that what they're called?" He asks while looking at Leonidas and the other one.

"I thought you knew. They're-" I'm interrupted by Dexter's voice.

"They're technically the physical forms of duel spirits in the real world. But only the strongest duel monsters in the game can take that form with the help of something like ancient magic used 5,000 years ago."

I'm very impressed. How old was he? 12? "How do you know this?"

"Duel theory," He simply replies. Wow. Humans actually learning about that world as some sort of grade or something.

"I'm guessing you're still wondering why there are two," Yusei cuts in, "After that light you and Jack disappeared in happened, _Stardust Dragon_ appeared like this."

' _That's why it looked so familiar…..'_ , I think. "You say that like there was a second light or something…." I then look at the said dragon, "Can we just call you Stardust from now on?"

"You may," She- for the voice sounded like a she- answers with a bob of her head. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but where are we going?"

"I say we should lay low and crash at Blister's hideout," Tanner insists. He looks at the twins, "Leo and Luna, you should come stay with us, too."

"Are you serious!?" Leo wonders, "Awesome! It'll be like the ultimate sleepover only even better!" Yusei and I smile at his eagerness. If we're lucky, I'll be able to help him out with his dueling. My eyes trail over to Luna and she looks deep in thought.

"Luna?" I ask.

"I don't know how, but I was able to see in that light, too," She says while looking at me, "I saw you and Jack dueling while the Satellite was being destroyed. That was the future, wasn't it?"

"I….don't know," I answer while looking down guiltily. Neither Yusei nor Luna has mentioned my wings randomly appearing in that light.

"But if it is, we have to find a way to stop it from happening," Yusei answers. He then looks back to me, "Yami, you remember what happened in that second light, don't you?"

Oh. So there _was_ another one. I shake my head. "No, I don't remember _anything_ after the flash. One minute I was dueling Yugi, the next I'm on the ground feeling like I got hit by a truck. Did something happen?"

"We'll discuss that once we get to Blister's hideout," Leonidas answers, "You don't remember _any_ part of what happened during the end of that duel?"

"It did feel familiar. Like I was transported from somewhere I've been to, before. Was it that bad?" I ask. Yusei smiles before talking.

"No. When we found our way and watched you guys dueling, everything looked and felt different."

"'We' as in?"

"Luna, Akiza, and I."

"Jack was there, too," Luna adds, "But it was really weird. He walked through all the doors and none of us could touch him. He was like a duel spirit or something."

Doors? What the hell happened? I see Luna place a hand over her arm. "What is a Signer?"

"Allow me, Luna," Yanagi inquires, "I can tell you everything there is to know. But, before I explain what a Signer is….."

His voice trails off in my ears when I look at Yusei for some type of other answer. I guess he notices this and glances back at me. "Yusei," I say to where only he can hear, "You said everything was different. What did you really mean besides the change of setting?"

"I was talking about you and Yugi," He replies. That caught me off guard, "Where we were, wherever that is, you two were relaxed more than ever."

"Aren't all duelists supposed to be?" I wonder.

"Well, yes, but what I'm trying to say is when I saw you guys dueling, it looked like you were having fun. None of you had anything to worry about except the face down cards and strategies the two of you were putting into play."

I rest my chin on his free shoulder while I stare at the ground. Right now, I really am racking my brain to see if I remember _something_. Anything. So far, only Akiza and Yusei know me the best out of everyone he says who was there. The last thing I remember _feeling_ is just wanting to beat Yugi. The last thing I remember _seeing_ is the Crimson Dragon in the middle of our duel when Naga and Leonidas were battling. It's all a blur after that.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I was finally able to walk on my own. That is, after we made it to Blister's hideout. Yusei stops when he feels me shift on him. I move my hands on his shoulders so I'm able to lean forward more. "Thanks, for everything. You're the best, and I'm glad I can call you my Shooting Star," I say before quickly pecking him right on the triangle of his criminal marker again. Just like last time before our duel, I somewhat feel my face heat up a little. Soon after that, I jump down from his hold. My legs carry me over to where everyone else was, and Yusei stops behind me.

Now, we were all crowding around Yanagi while he was drawing the Seal of the Crimson Dragon on a sheet of paper. I was already recognizing some parts to it. "Keep in mind that I'm no artist and I've only seen it once. But the dragon seal looked something like this."

We all leaned forward to get a closer look. Yusei was the first to gasp. I knew he was eyeing what looked to be the tail, because that's the mark on his arm. "Luna," I turn toward her, "Can we see yours?"

She nods and pulls up her sleeve. "So, Luna's mark looks like the claw thingy," Leo comments. What really caught my attention was the shape the claw was _holding_. It looked exactly like mine. Too bad it never stays like the others. The other thing was that same weird eye thing in the middle of the seal. Exactly like the mark on Yugi's arm.

"Yanagi, what does all this mean?" I wonder.

"According to legend, the Crimson Dragon's head, wings, hands, legs, and tail were split into five parts. They were sealed away within the five original Signers. The marks were then passed down through the generations."

"So where does that leave the one marked with the shape that looks like what the dragon's holding?" I say, asking about my mark.

"It's like the heart of the Crimson Dragon. 5,000 years ago during the war, if a Signer was defeated by a Dark Signer the heart of the Crimson Dragon would be lost for a very long time to the darkness. If the heart was defeated directly, it would've been lost forever. Either way, the one marked with the heart would face the inevitable. Death."

"….So, can this heart speak to the dragon directly?"

"No. Only the Envoy of the Crimson Dragon is allowed to do that. They hold the entire seal on their right hand and have the powerful "Crimson Star" cards."

Then why was I able to talk to him that one time? Maybe it's because of my powers. Yeah, I'll just go with that theory, because I did feel exhausted after communicating with him directly like that. Now to clear something else up. "Okay, so do you know anything about that eye in the middle? Yugi had that mark, and it looks exactly like the design on his puzzle."

"It's an Ancient Egyptian symbol," He says, "The Eye of Wjdat is what they called it. I'm afraid that's all I know about it."

' _What does the Crimson Dragon have to do with Ancient Egypt?'_

"But there are only five Signers we know about," Tanner pipes up, "How was the Crimson Dragon summoned if all seven of them weren't gathered?"

"That means the seventh Signer was in the arena after all," Yusei says, knowing very well I had a mark.

"So, Luna's a Signer," Leo starts, "Jack's a Signer, Akiza's a Signer, Yusei's a Signer, and Yugi's a Signer."

I bring my bare arm up to look at it. Yusei's watching me from where he stood behind me. _'If only I could get mine to show. Five seconds, max.'_ I wince by shutting one of my eyes out of nowhere when I feel a burning pain in my arm. Then there it is. The heart of the seal. Yusei and Luna's marks were glowing, too.

"I don't believe it!" Yanagi stood up to look at my arm closer, "You're the heart of the Crimson Dragon."

"I figured….." I comment. Finally, it stops glowing and it's only there for a little longer before vanishing again. Luna and Yusei's marks subsided in their glowing scenes, but of course they remain on their arms. Coincidence that it showed up when I wanted it to? I think not.

Suddenly feeling exhausted after that, I feel my knees wobble before I collapse to the ground. I end up sitting with my legs on both sides of me. I sigh while placing my palms on the ground when I faced it and shut my eyes. "That took more out of me than I thought it would."

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I meet Yusei's eyes to see him kneeling sown beside me. I just send him a quick smile to let him know I'll be okay.

"That's six down. So who's the other one?" Tanner wonders.

"Maybe it's me!" Leo shouted while lifting his shirt up and looking himself over for something, "Maybe I have a mark."

Then Luna faints out of nowhere. Yanagi had caught her, and her eyes open tiredly again. "Is she okay?" Yusei asks while staying next to me. Leo runs up to her when she answers.

"Yeah. I- I'm just a little tired or something."

"I second that statement," I agree when I feel my shoulders droop down a bit.

"I don't see why," Tanner says, "We've all had a couple of crazy days. Let's try to get some shut eye."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

" _What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."_

 _A masculine, dark, voice chuckled. Darkness. That was the only thing I saw- Hold on. Fire. It was purple fire in an odd shape revealed in the dark sky above me. Down below- for I was floating in mid-air- was the same shape. Except there were two duelist riding their due runners inside this fire. There was another runner that looked like it had crashed._

 _Everything seemed to zoom in. Here, I recognized one of the duelists being Yusei with Stardust Dragon flying above him. He was riding behind his icy-blue haired opponent with the shape in the sky on his arm. My eyes drift up to see some weird heart looking thing in the sky. Purple lines glowed each time it pulsed._

 _Facing it was….something. It looked like a person not too far away from it in the sky before the heart. Purple glowing rings were constricting the body, who had a helmet on. These rings seemed to be creating the odd purple sparks I keep seeing that bounce off from time to time. I guess they were the reason for the dark aura I saw around the person. But who was it?_

 _That mark. It's on this person's right arm that looks exactly like mine. And now I can see the glowing marker under the left eye: The violet colored, star-like shape with six points. Th- That's me._

 _Something else catches my attention far off in the distance. I look over to the side and I see someone in a cloak that completely covers her entire body and the entire right side of her face. The only thing I see is a grey eye. That eye was glaring daggers at the other me in the sky. Behind her is a green dragon that I have never seen before. Then a voice reaches my ears. I guess it's hers since her mouth is moving._

" _I'll teach her that those who kill," A green-like rapier appears in her hand, "should be prepared to die."_

 _Kill…? I… didn't kill anyone._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

My eyes snap open to meet the dark quarters of the room we were in. Snoring reaches my ears which causes me to look down. Leo and Yanagi were on the couch leaning back to back. My eyes go up to find Tanner sleeping in the chair behind the desk. Me, well, I'm not really sure. I know that I have Yusei's jacket over me. I turn on my back slightly to see his face with his eyes closed. I realize my head was in his lap.

Sitting up, a hand comes to my vibrating head. _'Let's see…. Oh, right. Yusei, Leo, Stardust, and I were just talking. I must've fallen asleep on his shoulder while at it.'_ How my head ended up in his lap was beyond me. But it was somewhat comfortable considering the circumstances right now. I silently remove his jacket.

I stand up and grab my deck, that was inside my deck holder, and place it on the thin chain I'm wearing. I'm still wearing blue shorts with the same blue-colored high tops. And this baby blue cold-shoulder crop top. What can I say? Somehow, I've always loved the color blue.

Walking over to the door, I see Luna sleeping quietly under a blanket. A smile can be felt when I walk out. I just need some air to clear my mind right now. Not like I'll be sleeping anytime soon anyways. I don't even remember what happened in that dream. I only remember whatever I was feeling. That's all.

I found myself walking out onto to the roof of Blister's hideout. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's somewhere around midnight. _'What is going on?'_

I come back technically being chased by Goodwin through Trudge. I met Yusei back in the Satellite after that. We came to the city together. Get separated only to find out some crazy info about all this. The Fortune Cup. Yugi…. Those nightmares that Wezzles- I mean Wes- claimed to be the future. The actual future when Jack and I dueled. Going _inside_ of Yugi's Millenium Puzzle-

' _That's it! That's where we went in that flash of light. Yugi and I dueled inside of his puzzle just like the duel I had with the professor. But, why don't I remember anything that happened?'_

A cool breeze goes by and my brown, now violet-streaked, hair covers part of my face, blocking my vision slightly. I feel my arm sting out of nowhere again. I bring it up to see that it was glowing. But this time, it feels so much weirder and different compared to how it should be feeling. With each pulse, I feel like I'm getting weaker. This isn't even the beginning of it. I feel my marker burn. It even feels like someone's zapping me or something right on the spot.

I hear a masculine chuckle behind me. "So it is true," The ominous voice says. I turn around when I place my hand over my mark. He was wearing a dark cloak that even covered his face. His smirk was the only thing to be seen. When I see the purple glowing spider mark on his arm, I gasp.

"What!?" He just laughs even more while he still approaches me slowly. Then I see it. As soon as my eyes land on the thing in his hand, my marker feels like it shocked me definitely. After that, I tenuously fall down to my knees; my eyes still remain on the dark looking object.

It radiated so much dark aura, yet I think it was weakening me at the same time. It was a small dark purple crystalline that had a small rope wrapped around its center. It was glowing _so_ bright for such a _small_ crystal. I start to see dark spots in my vision.

The cloaked figure stops in front of me and everything goes painfully dark.

* * *

 **Ayame: Hold it! I don't remember you busting that last bit in about 'being prepared to die'. Who was that? You're saying I'm gonna die!?**

 **C.C.: So you did take a peek... Anywho, yeah that character can't be named at the moment. And... well, you said it I didn't.**

 **Yusei: That isn't right.**

 **Ayame: The first chapter and you leave it at a cliffhanger. Typical.**

 **C.C.: Not exactly. You just ended up unconscious at the end.**

 **Yusei: You still ended it like a cliffhanger.**

 **C.C.: Whose side are you on, Fudo?**

 **Destiny: Why are you guys arguing. If there isn't going to be any fire it's pointless. Hey, when can I go get that pyro lesson from Shade? I have a few things to ask that only he would know answers to about fire.**

 **C.C.: Uh, that's up Shim. But-**

 **Leo: *Runs in panting* I'm back! Why did you take me to Canada!?**

 **Kara: WHAT!? I thought it was Mexico.**

 **Jack: Canada? Are you nuts?**

 **C.C.: No. Just screwed. So, tell me what you thought about this little chapter in a review. You can flame it if you feel like it. See ya!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Millenium Battle

**C.C.: Hey, we got another update for BBM.**

 **Jack: Nobody cares.**

 **Ayame: I do. I want to know what happens next. No. I want to know when you're going to post that Duel between Yugi and I.**

 **C.C.: Um... When Seth wants to actually start the first turn of it instead of working on other Duels.**

 **Yusei: He couldn't of done that now?**

 **Destiny: Pffft. No. We needed him for this chapter.**

 **Yugi: Oh, so who's Dueling?**

 **C.C.: Dang it, Destiny. Why must you give _everything_ away?**

 **Destiny: Because-**

 **C.C.: Destiny. Don't test me. Yusei type the chapter will ya? Luna?**

 **Luna: Oh, Cool Cat 2000 doesn't own Yugioh 5D's. But Ayame belongs to her.**

 **C.C.: Right she is. And the woman who shall not be named belongs to Shimmering-Sky. AND, the woman's cards also belong to Shimmering-Sky.**

 **Ayame: So there is a Duel...**

* * *

' _You shouldn't sneak up on people like that.'_

Yusei's voice. But where is he? Where am I? And who was he talking to? I squint my eyes when something starts to materializing before me. It's…. Yusei, me, Leo on my free shoulder, and Stardust on Yusei's shoulder. It's us in Blister's hideout when we were on the couch.

I had my head resting on Yusei's other shoulder with his jacket around me. We were both looking down at our laps with smiles on our faces. My right hand was entwined with his gloveless left one. Our hands came up to our faces, and then the quiet sound of my laughter reached my ears. I remember this. I can't exactly remember what we- Okay, what I was laughing and Yusei smiling- about, but I half remember this moment. Then I could hear what we were saying clearly. All of us.

"Yusei," It was Stardust, "you're just as relaxed as you were during Danni and Yugi's duel."

Danni. That's what all duel spirits called me. Including Leonidas and Stardust. "I am?" Yusei asked while our hands fell back down to our laps. But they were still entangled. The blue bakugan nodded the best way she could.

"Despite the numerous traps you humans have endured there, you feel just as safe here then when you did in that light, don't you?" Stardust pushed. Oh. Yep, I remember up until this point now. Yusei just looked at his newfound partner while I looked up at him.

"I guess so," Yusei reluctantly agreed.

"Traps as in death traps?" I asked. He nodded when he looked back down, "Didn't you say someone helped you guys find your way?"

"Yeah, and I'm grateful for what she did. Although, I never caught her name."

"Do…you remember what she looked like?"

Yusei closed his eyes, like he was remembering something in the best way he could. "Her hair," he started, "it was golden with silver streaks in it. Kind of like yours except a different color. I've never seen her eyes before. Her left one was blue and the other was golden just like her hair. I still felt like I knew her somehow..."

"You don't say that about someone you've just met every day," Leo remarked. I have to agree with him on that statement. Especially if they met her _inside_ of _Yugi's_ Millenium Puzzle. Even if it was- What the…. I blink that though away. What am I thinking?

' _Alright buddy. You've got yourself a duel.'_

There it is again. _His_ voice. It's like it's coming from everywhere. Everything just seems to shatter in front of me, and I'm surrounded in this empty darkness again. _'Okay, mister cloak and dagger. I'm activating the_ Tuning _Spell Card_. _'_ I turn around to see if I can find him behind me. Nope. It's-

 _"K—per of gr— ight,"_ It was a woman's voice, _"descend now and pierce the shadows of evil! Accel Synchro! Tear apart the darkness,_ Reshiram, Goddess of Light _!"_

There was a bright flash of white, blinding, light. I bring my right arm up to shield my face, and then a dragon's roar reaches my ears. I slowly bring my arm back down until it starts glowing. It even burns a little. And there it is. The Heart of the Dragon Seal mark.

Once I hear the same voice again, I look around to find myself in a completely different area. All around me, there is nothing but bronze bricks everywhere. The same numerous amount of chambers, doors, and stairways that led to nothing but traps, probably. This is the inside of Yugi's Millenium Puzzle. I look down below and I notice the large field that had eight monsters on it.

My sight just seems to zoom in, and I notice the one who must've been talking is the girl with the four dragons on her side of the field. It's strange, because I've never seen _any_ of them before. But the white one looks really familiar in my eyes.

Wait…. She has golden hair with silver streaks, a right golden eye, and a left blue one. I think this is who Yusei was talking about. That's not all. I guess Yusei forgot to mention that this woman has a small version of the Dragon Seal on her right hand. I can see it only because it's glowing just as brightly as my arm is right now. Is she the Envoy thing that Yanagi told us about?

"You are an incredibly skilled duelist," A masculine voice says. I look over to the source and see that it's Yugi. The Eye of Wdjat was glowing just as brightly on his right arm. He isn't wearing his jacket, and he looks a bit beat up. They both do actually, "I must say. Never before have I heard of Accel Synchro summoning. And during my turn, as well. Is this the answer I am to receive?"

Answer? What answer? I look back over to the woman, who smiles. "That's up to you. You haven't seen anything yet. _Reshiram's_ effect kicks in when she's summoned. Her attack and defense are equal to the number of cards in my graveyard times 500."

"If I remember correctly, you have twenty-two cards resting in your graveyard," Yugi comments.

The white dragon is surrounded by a white aura of light. This is going to sound weird, but I can actually _see_ her power rise in numbers just above her. **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 11,000**

Strong dragon. Reminds me of Naga in a way. I look over her other dragons and realize I can see their names and current stats at the moment, too. **Celestial Dragon – Moon ATK: 0, DEF: 2700 lvl. 7** I can't see too much of its color since it seems to be curled up a bit while a blue color. There are markings on its body, but they're just a different shade of blue. I guess this one's in defense mode.

 **Celestial Dragon – Sol ATK: 2700, DEF: 1500 lvl. 7** This golden-orange-like dragon was in attack mode without a doubt. Her green eyes look intimidating while she's eyeing down her opponents. Just like the blue one, this one has intricate markings on its body. Except these markings are golden.

 **Celestial Dragon – Quasar ATK: 3500, DEF: 2500 lvl. 9** Just like the others, this one was beautiful. It was mainly a silver dragon with violet wings. Her piercing blue eyes are probably half of Yugi's worries in this Duel.

 **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 11,000 lvl. 12** This is the only dragon I seem to recognize from somewhere. It's primarily white with blue eyes. Its arms are like the wings at the same time. Its tail sort of looks like some type of jet engine with two bands around it.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about _Slifer's_ ability," Yugi adds. I look over to his field, and I am _very_ surprised. He has _five_ monsters on his field that are some of the strongest and rarest cards in the game. How some of them received their attack points is completely beyond me since this seemed to be a pretty intense Duel so far. Just like his opponent, I can see his cards' stats on the field, too. I can't believe some of the attack points they have right now.

 **Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK/DEF: 5000 lvl. 10; Dark Magician ATK: 3800, DEF: 2100 lvl. 7; Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 5800, DEF: 2300 lvl. 8; Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2600, DEF: 1700; Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon ATK: 2500, DEF: 3000 lvl. 9**

 _Dark Magician Girl_ is kneeling down in defense mode along with _Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon_ in defense mode. This dragon looks like a more intimidating version of the _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ Yugi has.

I look over to his Spell and Trap card zone. He has…. two face-down cards, the Trap card _Rope of Life_ , which revives a monster and increases its attack points by 800, activated at the moment, and even the Trap _Dark Spiral Force_ , which doubles any monster's attack as long as _Dark Magician_ doesn't attack the turn it's activated.

"Not quite," The woman counters, "I activate _Reshiram's_ ability. Once a turn, I can banish a card in my Graveyard. I can negate _Slifer's_ effect and destroy him. _Turboblaze_!" **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 10,500**

 _Slifer the Sky Dragon's_ second mouth opened and released a purple ball of fire toward _Reshiram_. The white dragon's tail started glowing an orange-like color. I could even see the heat radiating off of her like this Duel really is winner take all in the end. The inferno hit her head on, but her attack points didn't change anymore. I look over to see that Slifer was still on the field.

"He should've been destroyed!" The woman counters. Yugi smirks at her surprise and frustration. Here, I notice Naga glowing. Oh, yeah. One of his annoying abilities I couldn't bypass most of the time.

"I counter with one of _Naga's_ special abilities," Yugi starts, "I believe this is the first time it's been activated in this Duel. When he's on the field, during either of our turns, any card that would be destroyed by battle or card effect is enabled to remain on the field so long as I remove a monster from play. But, you have managed to prevent _Slifer_ from weakening your dragon using _Reshiram's_ ability."

"He's not your Signer Dragon for nothing, then," She comments.

"Yes," Yugi nods, "As it's still my turn. I'm activating the Spell card _Mage Power_. For every Spell and Trap card in my Graveyard the monster I choose gains 500 more attack points until the End Phase. I count twenty-nine. _Slifer_ may be weakened, but _Naga's_ strength will grow once more for this turn." **Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK/DEF: 4000; Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 20,300**

"20, 300 attack points? Huh, I wasn't expecting that from you," The woman comments. I agree with her, because I wasn't exactly expecting this to ever happen.

"It seems that _Quasar's_ ability is backfiring considering the amount of Spells and Traps you've already destroyed with it." Yugi adds. I hear the golden-haired woman swear under her breath. I don't blame her. Right now, Naga is a power house and is currently dominating the field. " _Naga_ , obliterate her _Reshiram, Goddess of Light_! _Lunatic Burst_!"

"I…activate my face-down Trap card, _Lunar Eclipse_! Your dragon's forced to attack my _Celestial Dragon – Moon_ instead."

"Very well," Yugi says while Naga's power-gathering attack is redirected toward the monster in defense mode. Every time I see him attack it scares me a little. An orb of dark light appears in his mouth before it's released toward _Celestial Dragon – Moon_. A burst of light hides the field along with a gust of wind.

Once it's seeable again, I see that she has an arm in front of her defensively. When she brings it down, she's smiling, as if she's having fun Dueling Yugi. "That all you got, King of Games? Because you just boosted _Reshiram's_ attack more." **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 11,500**

"I order _Slifer_ to attack your _Celestial Dragon – Sol_!"

"Not if I activate my other Trap card _Celestial Barricade_! Since I still control a Celestial monster, I don't take any damage for the rest of this turn."

Another blast of light occurs, and an even stronger wind kicks up. Maybe since Slifer is an Egyptian God card and stuff. I look back at the field. Two against five. But the woman looks so sure that she's going to win this Duel or something. "I might as well end my turn then," Yugi says while three of his cards are destroyed in his Spell and Trap card zone. He places three more cards face-down while this happens. **Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 2900; Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 12, 500; Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK/DEF: 1000** "Tell me. Would it be ignoble of me to ask who you are once more?"

Too bad he couldn't attack with his _Dark Magician_. I study Yugi a little closer. So, he didn't exactly know who this woman was either. "You'll always be a noble Duelist, Yugi Muto," The woman says while drawing her card. I now realize that she has two cards in her hand, _and_ she knows exactly who Yugi is without a doubt. Her eyes remain on him, "Every time I destroyed something using _Sol's_ ability, you busted out an even stronger monster."

She looks at her card and slides it into her duel disk. "I'm activating _Monster Reborn_. We both know what it does, so I won't bother explaining." **Celestial Dragon – Sol ATK: 2700, DEF: 1500 lvl. 7** With the dragon being reborn, Slifer's ability kicks in. His second mouth opens again until the woman begins to activate her Reshiram's effect.

"I activate the Trap Card, _Infinity Demon_ ," Yugi says before she can even get out a word, "Allow me to explain this card's complete effect. Because _Naga_ is either on the field, or even has been, this card negates every single one of your monster's abilities until the End Phase of your turn. Do you counter, mysterious one?"

I look over to the woman, and I _know_ she's eyeing Yugi's other two face-down cards. "Yeah, I counter," She replies. **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 12,000** "Do you want to do the same to save your precious Egyptian God card using _Naga's_ effect as well?"

"Yes. I remove my _Magical Exemplar_ from play to negate _Slifer's_ destruction," Yugi replies. The woman nods and orders her Reshiram to attack Slifer.

"I'm activating another face-down card, the _Soul Shield_ Trap card. By paying half of my Life Points, _Slifer's_ destruction is negated and the Battle Phase is over," Yugi declares.

"Unless I activate _Quasar's_ ability. Remember, she can negate the activation and effect of a Trap Card before destroying it once per turn. Alright, _Reshiram_ continue your attack and send his _Slifer_ to the Graveyard."

Yugi only smirks once his card is destroyed. That's never, ever, good. _Reshiram_ releases an inferno toward the red dragon at full power. Here, Yugi reveals his second face-down card which is another Trap Card. "Then I activate another Trap. _Attack Guidance Barrier_ allows me to change your attack to another monster in Defense mode. The monster I choose gains 600 more defense points until the End Phase. Just like my previous card, this one ends your Battle Phase."

 **Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon DEF: 3600** _Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon_ gets in front of _Slifer_ just in time before the attack can hit anything. The blue dragon vanishes in a burning fury. "Then… I'll activate _Sol's_ ability from here. By banishing a Celestial card in my Graveyard, I can destroy your _Naga_."

 **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 11,500** Her golden-marked dragon is soon surrounded by a golden aura. Naga roars before he shatters in a burst of light. I look over at the woman out of curiosity. She triumphantly smiles like she now has the field advantage. She probably does with that face-down, card I'm just now noticing, still on the field. She then activates the last card in her hand.

"I activate _Sunrise Strike_. This Spell Card lets me deal 2,000 points of damage to you because I control _Celestial Dragon – Sol_ and so long as I send the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard," She explains while doing so. Reshiram gains power while a light is shot out directly toward Yugi. I can't believe the amount of life points he has. This Duel must've been going on for a while now, because this is the first time I see someone deal damage to the other.

Yugi grips his chest out of pain while getting down on one of his knees. This proves my theory that this Duel deals real damage when someone loses Life Points. **Yugi's LP: 350**

"I end my turn," She says. **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 13,000**

Yugi shakily gets on his feet before he draws his next card while his God card is given a boost. **Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK/DEF: 2000** "You cease to amaze me. Once again, you've managed to destroy one of my best cards, and you have dealt damage in the same move," Yugi looks at the two cards in his hand and smirks again.

"Before I begin, I'm switching _Slifer_ in Defense mode. Next, I'll activate the Spell Card, _Thousand Knives_. Because I control a _Dark Magician_ , I can destroy one monster on your side of the field." **Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK/DEF: 1000**

"Not if I activate _Reshiram's_ effect to keep my dragons safe," The woman retorts. **Reshiram, Goddess of Light ATK/DEF: 12, 500**

"Just like I knew you would," Yugi says. That's just like him. I get the feeling that's the exact reason why our Duel ended in a freaking _draw_. From the parts I remember, he was _always_ one step ahead of me. If not one, it was at least two. The woman raises an eyebrow for him to continue.

"Next, I'm activating my face-down card, _Magic Gate of Miracles_. Because I control at least two Spellcasters, I can gain control one of your dragons after I change it into Defense mode."

I look over to see which one he chooses. _Celestial Dragon – Sol_ curls up into defense mode and vanishes from the field. She reappears on Yugi's side of the field while he slides in the last card he has. **Slifer's ATK/DEF: 0** "With your dragon's assistance, I'm activating the _Double Spell_ card. This card enables me to select any number of Spell Cards, that have been activated last turn, from your Graveyard to use as my own. I'm choosing your _Sunrise Strike_ to deal you 2,000 points of damage."

His card turns into the same one the woman already used. That same beam of light shoots through her and she does the same from the amount of pain that the one card caused. **Woman's LP: 200** " _Dark Magician_ , attack her _Celestial Dragon – Quasar_ using your _Dark Magic Attack_!"

 _Dark Magician_ rises into the air and points his scepter at the silver dragon. Suddenly, everything starts to sound all fuzzy. I look over to the woman to see that she activated a Trap Card. "…. _Celestial Providence_!" She shouts. Her voice sounds so distant, and everything just starts to fall apart. I want to see more. I want to see the "Crimson Star" cards. But I can't even hear anything anymore.

' _Okay, chuckles. I get it. You're gonna be like that.'_ I turn around when I can hear Yusei's voice again. _"Yusei! Leo!"_ I shout. No one answers. I just want out of this darkness. A moment later, I feel like I'm being electrocuted for some reason. My arm goes numb either from the pain this mark causes every time it glows or the sense of me feeling shockwave after shockwave. I feel like the shocks are coming from my marker, because it's the point of where I'm feeling the most pain.

I clutch my head when I yell, knowing that no one will hear in this unending darkness.

* * *

 **Yusei: And this chapter's done. Who was the woman in the end?**

 **Ayame: Let me guess. She wants to kill me in the end, too. Right?**

 **C.C.: *Shugs* Feh. And can't say, Yusei. That'll give away some of the plot.**

 **Kara: MWAHAHAHA** **Just wait until we get to the part where you su-**

 **C.C.: *Slams hand over Kara's mouth* Seriously, where are you guys getting your spoiler habits from? Drop a review and tell me how this was alright? Atlas over there can flame it for you if you want.**

 **Jack: Jack Atlas doesn't take orders from anyone. So, do it yourself.**


	3. Chapter 3: Innocent Claims

**Xenia: Shirlulu for the win! *Runs out door***

 **C.C.: Finally! We ALL agree on SOMETHING.**

 **Ayame: Did I miss something?**

 **C.C.:...Nah. Just let Xenia be... Xenia I guess. One of our pairs are Shirley and Lelouch from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.**

 **Yusei: You still need to update that profile of yours.**

 **C.C.: Oh yeah! I keep forgetting about that.**

 **Yugi: I hope you don't mind my asking, but who are the other pairs that Xenia is so protective over?**

 **Yusei: Same here.**

 **Jack: The two of you are clueless idiots. The poor lads...**

 **Ayame: *Blushes* U-um... We thought you knew.**

 **C.C.: *Laughs* Just keep reading until we get to THAT part. Well, I guess it's fine if Yusei knows. *Whispers in Yusei's ear***

 **Yusei: *Eyes widen* Oh. That explains a few things that have been happening so far...**

 **C.C.: Sure. Sure. You seriously are clueless about that sort of stuff. More to come. But, uh let's just say I'm currently restraining Xenia at the moment.**

 **Ayame: *Facepalm* Lovely...**

 **Jack: Let's just get this over with. Cool Cat 2000 doesn't own Yugioh 5D's. It's a good thing, too.**

 **Leo: Hey! It was _my_ turn! But Cool Cat owns Ayame!**

 **C.C.: Before you read... I know, I know... Creativity... Still working on it... BUT, there's a reason for it. Enjoy! Oh, and remember: "Yami" is pronounced "Yah-may". (Really need to change that nickname...)**

* * *

"Doesn't this guy know that three's a crowd?"

I force out a grunt of pain, but it sounds muffled and really weak. My eyes stay closed, because the only thing I can think of is how much my body's hurting right now. It just won't go away. I guess my mind registers that something's in my mouth. Me being the idiot I am, I bite down just to see if I can guess what it is.

It's sort of…..soft. But it feels like it's pushing my tongue back as far as it can. Whoever had that dark crystal thing probably put a gag in my mouth. I feel myself wince when my marker randomly starts to shock me for no reason at all. The sound of shock waves reaches my ears every second or so.

Next, I start to feel something squeeze me. It feels like some sort of burning hand that's constricting me. My marker responds by zapping me some more, and I feel weaker than I already am. "The stars just turned dark. What's that about?"

Yusei's voice. I'm not exactly sure what he's talking about, but it can't be good. "The light is being consumed by the shadows," A possessed sounding voice answered. It sounds vaguely familiar. After he answers, the weird hand-feeling squeezes the breath out of me. Another muffled groan escapes my mouth before I struggle for more air.

"I thought negative energy was just a theory," Yusei comments. I crack my eyes open when that possessed voice chants his Synchro summon.

" _When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals a world without light. Extinguish all hope and feed off the darkness. I'm Dark Synchro summoning my negative level five,_ Frozen Fitzgerald _!"_

Negative level? I'm completely awake now when my eyes shoot open. I look over to my right to see nothing but a dark light in front of some dude in a cloak. Again, for no reason at all, I get that shocking feeling. Definitely not seeing things when purple sparks bounce off. It intensifies when my entire body feels like it's being electrocuted, squeezed, and burned all at the same time. I slam both of my eyes shut when I feel an extremely cold wind coming from that black light.

"What are you doing to her?" Yusei suddenly demands. He probably means me. That ominous voice laughs as his answer. The wind finally stops and everything subsides. Once I'm able to breathe again, I open my eyes to see what exactly is going on.

When I look down, a purple hand was constricting me. It looks like it's emerging from the wall of purple fire behind me. Said wall has some type of ring forming around the Duelists, including me. I don't like this at all.

My eyes shoot over to Yusei, and he doesn't look to good. He's panting like crazy and looks ready to fall over any minute. He has _Junk Warrior_ on his field along with two cards faced down. I try to shout his name, for this gag in my mouth stops it.

"Alright Mister Mystery Man, what are you planning to do to the Satellite, then?" Yusei suddenly asks, "First, you capture my friend. Then you tie her up like some lap dog. And now you're telling me that she's _giving_ your cards power?"

"Continue the Duel, and I'll answer all questions," Is his answer. I look back over to my right to see a monster I've never seen before. Its entire body is covered in the one thing I despise the most, and my greatest weakness: ice. Its wings are ice, the two tentacle things it has are ice, even the bottom half of it is just an icicle of- you guessed it- ice.

"Fine then," Yusei answers. No. I want answers, but I want them _now_. I look at the gag and try to focus on it. It starts to glow until something entirely cuts off my concentration. There's some kind of dark spark from my neck that even hurts a little. I wince before learning what caused my powers to fail.

It's the same dark gem that I last saw in that guy's hand. It's resting on my chest, being held up by the small rope tied around my neck. Lovely. I'm stuck here, and my powers aren't working. I release a sigh until the sound of ice shards reaches my ears.

I look back up to see that the one with the dark spider mark on his arm commanded his monster to attack Yusei directly. I look over to Yusei to helplessly watch him bring his arms in front of him defensively. These shards strike him, causing Yusei to fly back into the dark fire and fall to the ground.

After the attack hits him, the hand squeezes even harder. That burning sensation courses through my body while at the same time I'm being shocked. It goes away just as soon as it came. Yusei struggles up back to his feet, and he's shaking just as bad as I am right now.

Why? Why did they have to put a stupid gag in my mouth? I could've at least said a spell or something to ease the pain he was feeling. No. Not with this gem that's absorbing my powers for itself. I probably zone out for a moment or two, because I'm feeling another freezing burst of wind coming from the right.

"...The Dark Signers will always win, Yusei Fudo," I tune my ears back into the Duel.

"What? Is that who you are?" Yusei wonders.

"Don't be so surprised. Light and dark are two sides of one coin. We're even lucky enough to have both sides in one vessel."

Me? I know my powers are somewhat based off of the darkness, but…. Maybe he's talking about the Crimson Dragon's mark on my arm. The light. But the vessel part? I'm not so sure of. _'What am I in all of this?'_

"She just proves that we are one and the same," The cloaked guy adds.

"Sorry. None of us got the membership kit," Yusei responds.

"Amusing," The creepy voice comments, "Wouldn't you agree, Ayame Muto?"

My eyes widen at the fact that he knows that. He just laughs some more while Yusei shouts my name.

"How nice of you to join us. I do hope you're enjoying the show," He adds in between laughter. I feel my eyes narrow toward him. He thinks this is all a game? _'That little- Ow…..'_ My thought is interrupted when my marker shocks me again. Or was it the crystal? I can't keep up in this state.

"Careful," The dude taunts, "We wouldn't want you dying from that small Dark Gem around your neck when we still need you. It seems you're a lightweight against your own abilities."

There was something wrong with those claims. Each and every one of them. The gag in my mouth starts to feel a little warm. Then it just vanishes from my mouth. "That's better isn't it?" He asks, "It's the least I can do for you in return for all you've done for me in this Duel."

"Who do you think you are? You're talking like you know _so much_ about me and my powers. Why are you- Argh…." Again, this crystal shuts me up and weakens me more at the same time.

"I'll tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go." Yusei warns. Again the guy just laughs evilly.

"You know the rules, Yusei. Only if you win will I return her to you. She's of no use to you. She is the strength of the dark shadows born on the Eternal Night of the great eclipse. The darkness has already temporarily erased the light of her mark and soon she'll destroy everything along with the shadows and the embodiment of destruction."

"You're nuts!" I shout.

"Not on my watch," Yusei adds while drawing his card. I stare back down at the gem around my neck. His words echo hauntingly in my mind over and over. _'What's the 'Eternal Night'? And….what did he mean 'embodiment of destruction?'_ As soon as that thought is complete, I realize that last term rings a few bells. When I was Dueling Wes. He had his monster- that _Darkrai_ if memory serves right- give me all of those creepy nightmares and stuff…. Suddenly, my vision goes dark.

 _ *******_ _ **Dream/Flashback**_ _ *******_

 _"The Temporal Dimension is home to the ruler of time and the Spatial Dimension is inhabited by the manipulator of space. Two entities that never should have met crossed paths in the Space-Time Rift. This ill-fated meeting has brought forth their unbridled wrath, enveloping the dimension. As a result: Destruction."_

I look up ahead to see whatever's in front of Yusei and I. He's on his Duel Runner, which has crimson wings, driving just below me. I'm sort of just hovering in the air freely. We're both just moving forward in the empty darkness. I hear another voice coming from everywhere. It sounds so upset yet annoyed at the same time.

 _"You're entrusting the child whose very birth and existence is to blame for this with our lives?"_

The first voice that was talking replied. It kind of….sounds like the Crimson Dragon's in a way. _"Yes. As we all are. Despite her birth causing such a disturbance in the Space-Time Rift, the ancients believed that the prophecy foretold a being was to be born and tame the embodiment of destruction."_

 _"The birth of destruction itself? Hahaha! The only other being too tame such a beast was a descendant who inherited the beast's power to destroy."_

 _"I am well aware of that. The child has inherited such a power of a descendant from such dark and ancient times. She will carry both the light and the darkness throughout her life."_ It's the Crimson Dragon's voice for sure. But, what do they mean?

Up ahead, I see a pair of deadly crimson eyes. Either that or it's because everything I'm looking at is some shade of red.

 _"And if the light were to ever vanish allowing the darkness to overtake the child?"_ The second voice asks. I hear a low rumble coming from the pair of eyes. Shivering from the sudden low temperature change, I lower down to Yusei's level.

 _'It's….so cold…. I can't….breath….. or move…'_ I think while the Crimson Dragon's voice answers.

 _"The very soul of its counterpart, who is the promise of life and the beginning of hope, will be needed to vanquish the excess darkness in order for the light to prevail once more."_

"Beyond hope, you will find your ideals." A dark voice growls from ahead of us. It sounds so surreal compared to the other two voices. Yusei seems so unaware of all this. I stare at the pair of crimson eyes in confusion.

"My….ideals….?" I wonder, "I don't have any…." Suddenly, Yusei's runner emits an explosion. I gain my previous altitude and search for Yusei down below in the smoky darkness. Just like before, I feel my eyes widen when he wasn't there anymore. I twist around in the air to see him plummeting down in the endless darkness with his runner.

"Yusei! I- I can't lose you!" I turn back around to see those same pair of eyes.

"Sometimes in the search for ideals, sacrifices are required!" The voice shouts when I hear a rumbling roar. My vision went dark again and that shocking feeling returns.

 _ *******_ _ **End of Dream/Flashback**_ _ *******_

I blink that wretched little vision away when I gasp in a breath of air. Something wet slides down my face. I guess I'm crying, because that vision felt _so_ real. It was more vivid the second time around. I must not have missed a lot, because more deadly ice shards are heading toward Yusei after they destroy his _Sonic Chic_.

He tries to bring his arms up again, but he's only just a split second early in doing so. He's soon pushed back into the fire wall again. I yell in pain when the hand squeezes me a little too much. When it did this, it feels like my marker zaps me as much as it can. After a moment, it finally stops. I just want this Duel to be over and the pain to go away already.

That wish must have come true, because after I close my eyes I sort of doze off again. The sound, and feeling, of my body smashing against the ground wakes me up. "Ayame!" I hear Yusei shout along with the sound of shuffling feet.

I weakly pull myself up into a sitting position. My hand comes up to the gem around my neck and clasps it. Yusei kneels down beside me, but I just try to focus on ripping the thing off my neck. "Ayame, are you okay?"

I don't answer. Instead, my second hand comes up to the gem. I just want the stupid thing off. Yusei removes my hands from it and takes the crystal in his palm. He grunts a little, because his mark is glowing brighter than ever. Finally, a sense of relief washes over me when the small crystal bursts in his hand.

' _How did he…?'_ I think. That thought goes away when I feel his hands cup my face. He brings it up to where my eyes are directly looking into his. I even notice the small red scratch marks he has all over his face. "We have to get out of here," He tells me while brushing away the tears that were still on my cheeks using his thumbs.

"Yeah, but…." I say while looking over to his fallen opponent. He knows what I mean, because he soon dashes over to him. Yusei quickly follows his actions by gripping the collar of his shirt. So far, the guy was completely clueless on what just happened.

When I stand up, I see someone sprint pass me over to Yusei and the other guy. "Hi, Carly Carmine," She says and then turns to the clueless guy, "How is it that you're the first amateur to take on the Shooting Star of New Domino City?"

What? "And why are you asking?" Yusei wonders for the both of us.

"I'm a reporter, and this is going to be my biggest scoop yet. I hope you don't mind answering a few things," She says while bringing out a tape recorder. Soon, she starts bombarding Yusei with so many questions that I can't keep up. I walk over to them, but my attention was focused on this guy's Deck. It's surrounded by some dark aura.

I pick it up, and start going through his cards. Yusei stands up next to me before peering over my shoulder. "His Dark Synchro and Dark Tuners are missing," Yusei comments.

"…so what you're saying is: you don't know why you're here, why you're Dueling and why you're arm had a glowing spider on it?" Carly rambles toward the guy. The next thing I know, the alarms go off.

"Anyone call Security?" I ask sarcastically.

"We better get out of here before they start asking questions," Yusei replies.

"But… my interview…." Carly sighs. Really?

"We'll finish it later," Yusei says before running off. He goes over to the edge and just jumps down after jumping over the railing. I follow him, but I'm so much more sluggish than I have ever felt. I look down over the fence to see Yusei looking back up at me. _'So he did wait.'_

"Jump down. I'll catch you," He shouts up at me.

"Um…." I reply. _'That's a pretty long way down….'_

"What is it?"

"That's sort of far…." I note. Seriously, how did he land that perfectly?

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights," He says, "You're a fairy. You fly."

"That's different!" I shout back down. I hear Security cars pulling up from the other side of the building. I guess he hears them, too.

"Yami, we don't have time for this. I promise I'll catch you," He says, holding out his arms. What the heck? I've been through much worse before. And like Yugi previously said, I trust Yusei with my life so far. Actually, I think he just _did_ save my life by winning that Duel. _'Good thing I'm wearing shorts,'_ I think as I put my hand on the railing. I jump over it just as easily as he had.

I shut my eyes when I feel myself free falling. Soon, I land into something soft and strong at the same time. When I feel some airy force push me into Yusei, I subconsciously wrap my arms around his neck to keep from falling. I open my eyes to see that he was running toward Blister's hideout. "I told you I'd catch you," He says in between breaths.

"How silly of me to doubt my Shooting Star," I respond. I hear a small chuckle escape his mouth, and I look up at his scratched up face. He has a half smile across his lips which causes me to smile as well.

* * *

 **Ayame: I'm afraid of heights...?**

 **C.C.: Not exactly. I just needed some type of fluffy insert there. No matter how cheesy it was. And that's what Xenia came up with on last minute's notice.**

 **Ayame: Since when can Yusei destroy weird power-absorbing gems?**

 **Destiny: It's part of the plot, genius. I _can't_ WAIT until we explain that part _and_ the _woman_.**

 **Kara: This was a total filler. Not the best of work. That shadowy hand thing really was cheesy.**

 **C.C.: I agree. But, hopefully this raises questions considering Ayame and her powers.**

 **Destiny: The Dark Gem. You can never forget the Dark Gem. And all else the Shadow Drone said about her.**

 **Seth: Just be lucky we didn't write... _those_ characters in this one.**

 **Ayame: I'm just going to prepare myself for the worse...**

 **C.C.: Good. Because that's not even the tip of the iceberg for you. Anywho, leave a review will ya! I really don't care what you say. You can say you hate it. Love it. Criticize it, okay? Okay. See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4: Road to Confrontation

**Everyone else: *Watches silently***

 **Kara: Dee Dee-!**

 **Destiny: Finish that sentence and I WILL strangle you, and for the last time. Don't. Call. Me. That.**

 **Seth: Denial's an ugly thing.**

 **Destiny: Not you, too... And I'm _NOT_ in denial.**

 **Xenia: See what we mean? That's denial.**

 **Destiny: You guys can be a real pain in the ass, you know that?**

 **C.C.: BREAK IT UP ALREADY! Seth, Kara, Xenia, stop antagonizing her. It doesn't matter how much she denies this issue.**

 **Destiny: You're supposed to be on my side!**

 **C.C.: Destiny, I don't pay you for such a thing, I pay you to write and prioritize. So quit acting so childish right now and drop it, will ya?**

 **Destiny: You don't pay us at all.**

 **C.C.: I'm glad we've reached an agreement. Now, Yusei we're ready for the chapter to be typed up. _Leo_ , will you get the disclaimer before Jack blows a gasket over there?**

 **Jack: I really don't like you.**

 **Leo: Yeah! Cool Cat 2000 doesn't own Yugioh 5D's, but Ayame belongs to her!**

 **C.C.: Ah. Ah. I should've been doing this a LONG time ago, but thank you: mcdinh, Shimmering-Sky, RaisingHeartExelion, and the random citizen for reviewing last chapter! And in response to that guest review I got... Uh, no I have no idea why people do such a thing to Leo. But if you 100% believe that's going to be the case throughout this _entire_ thing, you are totally in for a rude awakening. *Cackles* But thanks for the review!**

 **Ayame: *Facepalm* When you put it _that_ way, it usually involves a death or two... Hold it... So I _am_ gonna die!?**

 **Leo: I'm still getting a mark, too!? Yahoo!**

 **C.C.: Enjoy!**

* * *

By the time we got back to Blister's hideout, it was morning. I've regained my legs again and some of my strength. It was enough to walk on my own, though. Right now, Yusei was walking next to me in the long hallway toward the room we were all staying in.

Everything that just happened keeps replaying in my head over. And over. It won't leave my mind's eye. "I know what you're thinking," Yusei says, "Everything's gonna be okay."

"Um, yeah…."

"I mean it," He says.

"How can you be so sure? We still don't know what that crystal thing was," I reply.

"The Shadow Drone said it was a 'Dark Gem'."

"I _clearly_ remember that. And I remember _you_ being able to destroy it when it _I_ couldn't. It was….weakening me. Yusei, that drone back there said I was 'a lightweight against my own abilities'. How can I weaken myself?"

We stop at the door to our quarters. "I'm not sure," He says before turning to face me. "You okay?"

I look up into his eyes for a moment. I'm debating if I should tell him what I saw in Yugi's puzzle right now. Or…maybe even what I heard in that vision during his Duel. _'Never. I don't want him worrying about that,'_ Then there it is again. That small spark I saw in his eyes during the Fortune Cup. It looks a little stronger this time. Every time I see it, it makes me feel weird. But the feeling only lasts about a second or so. I look away at the door.

"No…" I truthfully answer. My hand goes on the doorknob, "But….it's nothing. Maybe later," I say. My hand turns the knob, but Yusei stops me by taking my other in his.

"Now's the perfect time," He tells me. I turn back to him, but I don't look up at him. He brings his free hand up to my cheek so he can turn my face and make me look at him. _'Not now.'_ I tell myself when I start to feel my marker burn. Like it's trying to fight some unknown force or something.

Forgetting I still had my hand on the door, I sort of lean my weight on it. This manages to open it completely and put a foot or two in between me and Yusei. Although, his hand is still in mine.

"Hey," A voice says. I look over to it to see that it's Tanner using the laptop, "Where'd you lovebirds run off to last night? I was getting worried."

I pull Yusei into the room when I answer his question, "I got kidnapped."

"I saw the guy who had her and followed him," Yusei adds. Tanner stands up alarmingly from his chair.

"Did you two Duel or what?" Tanner inquires.

"Yeah, they Dueled," I answer, "But the guy was being controlled by someone called the Dark Signers. He even had a mark like ours. It glowed and everything only in the shape of a spider." No way is he finding out about that other mumbo-jumbo as to _how_ I got kidnapped.

Yusei walks in front of Tanner and points at the computer. "Can I use that? Maybe I can find something about the spider symbol we saw."

Tanner nods and walks toward the door. "I'll go get us a couple of drinks. The old man should be back with the twins soon." Then he left. Yusei sits down in the chair and starts typing away. I walk over to the window and just watch all the cars and people walk by while listening to the sound of the keyboard.

"Yusei, can you see if you can dig up any info about-"

"I already am," He says, "So far, I'm not finding anything. It's strange. All it has are myths and folklores about everything that drone said about you. Each one of them are different in some way."

"Do I want to know now?" I ask looking back at him. His eyes remain on the screen. Then, they even go wide for only a split second before returning back to normal.

"…Not really," He finally replies. I just go back to looking out at the window. I'm sure I can ask him later about it and have him tell me. A quiet sigh escapes my mouth when I feel my arm start to tingle. It's weird. It feels the exact same way when I was watching that Duel between Yugi and that woman.

I bring my right arm up to look at the golden bracelet I forgot I'm wearing. The little lone charm on it weakly flashes in the light. It was pink and the exact shape of my marker, except it was a three-dimensional version of it. I really want to know why I couldn't trigger it so my powers could kick in back there. Then it feels like my mind's being walked in on or something.

" _Are y—right?!"_

I blink while bringing my arm down. There's only one person who can annoyingly enter my mind like this. _"Yugi?"_ I think back.

" _Twy- Ayame, where are you? Are you alright?"_ He asks. I feel my nose scrunch a little. My first name sounds so… unnatural on _his_ tongue. He's never called me by it in a _long_ time.

" _I think I should be the one asking you that. We're at Blister's hideout."_

"' _We'? And who is Blister?"_ He asks. Is that so surprising?

" _Yusei and I. The twins should be back soon."_ I think while glancing back to Yusei. _"And Blister's a friend of Yusei's. Calm down. I can take care of myself, you know."_

" _Tell me. Did something happen last night? I've been trying to contact you ever since I've woken up. All I could feel was pain coming from you. And then nothing. Now I sense fear and confusion from you at the moment."_

I feel my eyes narrow. _"That's…! None of your business,"_ I think back to him. I _hate_ it when he tells me exactly what I'm feeling. It makes it even worse when hearing it from him of all people. I feel a mental sigh coming from him.

" _Very well. Until we meet again, I'd like to have a word with you."_

" _No."_ I answer soon after his last word. I know Yusei wants me to talk to him, but I can't. Not now. _"Where are you anyway?"_ I ask before he can argue with me.

" _I'm still at the hospital. So is Jack, but he hasn't come to yet. They refuse to release me."_

" _While you're answering questions, answer this. Who was that woman you were Dueling inside of your puzzle?"_

I feel nothing but pure shock from him. _"Now do you understand why I need a word with you?"_ I blink at that thought. Is that what he wanted to talk about? No… I doubt it. That probably just adds on to the list of whatever he needs to say. _"However, I'd like for you to at least consider it. Please be careful, Ayame."_

" _Don't call me that."_ I tell him. We may not be on good terms right now, but I really do prefer it to where he either calls me: Twi, Twyla, or Twilight.

" _You had re-"_

" _Yeah, well things change,"_ I cut him off, _"You should know that better than anyone, Yugi."_

" _Please forgive me, and allow me to explain."_

" _No. Good-bye, Yugi."_ I think to him before cutting off our link completely. Another sigh is released from my mouth. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I _despise_ this mind-link we had. And I think I always will.

 _ **XXXXX**_

"How's it going?" Tanner asks while placing a cup on the desk Yusei hasn't moved from. Tanner has already given me my cup of water, but I gulped it down. I walk up to Yusei's other side and place my cup down. I reach over for the one that was meant for Yusei and start drinking out of it, slowly.

"Not good. My searches on spider symbols aren't turning up any solid leads," He replies.

"I know you'll find a way to save the Satellite, Yusei," Stardust adds from the desk she's on by the laptop.

"Count on it, Stardust," Yusei says while standing up. "But first I need some answers. I need to find Goodwin."

Nearly choking on the water, I bring the cup away from my mouth and look at Yusei. "You need to rain check that idea." I tell him.

"Isn't he the man who sent you to the Facility that gave you such a painful-looking mark on your face?" Stardust asks as she hops onto his shoulder. Yusei nods as her answer and then looks at me.

"And he's the only one with answers," Yusei says. He then looks at the cup in my hand that was supposed to be his. "Thirsty?"

I look at the remaining water in it. There was only about two swallows left. What can I say? A fairy's got to drink a lot of water. I guess it ties in with the extremely fast heartbeat we have. "Sorry…."

"It's fine. You need it more than I do," Yusei tells me.

"You're leaving?" Everyone looks at the door to see Luna and Leo, and Yanagi standing behind them. Looks like they're back. Luna was the one who asked, "But it's not safe for you out there."

"Please don't go," Leo adds.

"I have to. The people in the Satellite need my help," Yusei remarks. I place the cup down quietly. Was he seriously thinking about doing this alone?

"Stay here!" Leo retorts, "It's way safer here in the city. What if some spider really is going to destroy the city?"

"He's right," Luna says, "Don't leave. What if you get stuck and can't get back here again?"

Oh…. We've gone to the 'What if's phase already. Yusei walks up to the twins and kneels down in front of them. He places a hand on each of their shoulders. I walk up behind him while he's talking to them. "Don't worry. In fact I already made arrangements for some backup," I hear him say.

"Besides," I add. Before I continue, I slip my arms over Yusei's shoulder and rest my chin on the shoulder Stardust isn't on, "I'll be there every step of the way with him."

The sound of Sector Security vehicles reach my ears. "I hope that's a good thing," Leonidas comments from my own shoulder. I stand up completely, so Yusei can get back on his feet. He runs over to the window and opens it by the time I come up next to him. When I look down to see who it is, I can't believe it.

"Looks like my ride's here," Yusei comments.

"Alright, Yusei, I got your message. Now get your Deck and get down here!" Trudge shouts through a bull horn, "I'm not going to wait here all day just cause we're teaming up temporarily! You understand me?!"

"You're kidding me, right?" I ask.

"Trudge is your protection?" Tanner asks.

"He's more," Yusei answers, "If he gets me to Goodwin safely, we just might have to call Trudge one of the good guys." He then looks at me directly, "Yami, I want you to stay here in the city."

"Wha-!? Yusei, I just said that-!"

"I know. But it's safer here, and Yugi needs you way more than I do right now."

What. The. Heck. I can't believe him right now. I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. I shut it with a growl of defeat and look away from him and the window.

"While I'm gone, I want you to do something for me," Yusei adds.

"What's that?" I snort still looking away from him. I feel his hand come up to my cheek, and he gently tilts my face to directly face his.

"I want you to visit Yugi for me. Talk to him while he's grounded right now."

"You already know my answer to that," I tell him. When I'm staring into his eyes, I see that spark again. It was slightly stronger than the previous one from earlier today. And then that same, defiant, feeling courses through my body… Wait, why did I say 'no' to _Yusei_ , again?

"I know. That's why I asked Trudge to get you an escort," he says.

"You had this entire thing planned out from the start didn't you, Yusei?" Leonidas asks. He nods and we both look back down to Trudge when he shouts at us again.

"I don't have all day to wait for you to kiss your girlfriend good-bye, Satellite scum!"

"Still as annoying as ever," I comment while Yusei lets his hand fall back down to his side.

"Has he always held such a resentment toward you, Yusei?" Stardust wonders.

"For as long as I can remember," Yusei answers while walking to the door. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I follow him. He won't let the Yugi thing go until I at least say one word to him. I just want to know why he wants me to do this so badly. Yusei and I walk to where our runners are, and I push mine out after he opens the door. Trudge and his posse are still out waiting.

"Yusei," I say loud enough only for him to hear me, "We need to talk the next time we meet up again."

"You're right," He says. I look over to him in surprise. His eyes remain on Trudge in front of us, "But before that can happen, I want you to settle things out with Yugi first."

I roll my eyes while climbing on to my runner. Yusei walks up in front of Trudge and shouts. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's roll out." I smirk while I place my helmet over my head.

"You've got a lot of nerve asking for my help, you Satellite reject," Trudge responds while walking up to Yusei. Trudge reaches out a hand toward Yusei to grab the collar of his shirt. Yusei just grabs his wrist a certain way while closing his eyes. I guess it was a pressure point or something because Trudge seems to regret doing what he did.

"Good to see you, too, Officer Trudge," Yusei says before releasing his grip. He silently walks over to the car that has the door wide open.

"If you and your girlfriend want my protection, I suggest you start showing some respect for my authority," Trudge tells him. Yusei doesn't say anything, but simply gets in before the door shuts. "Hey! Did you hear what I said? If you keep ignoring me, Yusei, the deal's off. Got it?"

"Let's get going," Yusei tells him. I hold in a laugh while I lower my visors.

"Miss Muto," An officer asks me, "We are ready to proceed to the hospital when you are."

I nod while revving my runner's engine to life. He runs inside of his car and drives off. Yusei and I share one more look before we go our separate ways. It wasn't very difficult to catch up to my 'escort', so I wasn't worried if I lost him or anything. Just as I'm driving, my mind is racing with thoughts right now.

Yusei said he'd wanted a word with me. But the thing that caught me off guard was that he said I _had_ to talk to Yugi first. I wonder what that's all about. My confusion doesn't even end there. I want to know why the heck his eyes keep technically shining over, or something, almost every freaking time I look into them. I think it's getting worse, because that last time I couldn't even think straight.

I just wanted to tell him what I saw inside of Yugi's puzzle. Speaking of which…. I pull up to the hospital after a crowd of reporters are forced out of our way.

Here, I decide to get off my runner and just walk it. I keep my helmet on though, because I don't exactly want direct attention _and_ a million cameras _directly_ in my face at the moment all at the same time. It's bad enough that they're already shouting my name because they recognize my Duel Runner.

I sigh when we finally make it to the hospital's entrance. I park my runner where I think it should be safe until I get back. Before I dismount my runner, I connect my Duel Disk to my arm just in case. You never know when you need it around these parts nowadays.

The officer leaves without a word, and I walk through the automatic doors. People give me strange looks. I guess I don't blame them, because it's not every day you see someone walking in the hospital with a helmet and a Duel Disk on. When I stop at the front desk, the clerk doesn't even look up at me from her computer.

"I'm here to see Yugi Muto," I say sternly.

"I'm sorry miss," She says with a lot of attitude, "But Yugi isn't expecting any visitors today."

I take my helmet off and glare at the woman. She notices my movement, and her eyes go deer-in-the-headlights mode. "Y- You're-"

"His sister," I say, "And unless you want me to call him myself, I suggest you let me through."

"Y-Yes o- of course. You'll find him in Room 318, Miss Muto."

I nod, and say, my thanks and go to the aforementioned room. Now that was interesting. All people are either: afraid of Yugi, me and Yugi, or just the Muto family period. I sigh when I'm almost to the room. I _still_ can't believe Yusei half-assed talked me into doing this. Or was it the fact that I literally 'got lost in his eyes'? I roll mine at that thought.

"I think the term you humans use is 'falling in love'. Or at least, that's the path you're following up until this point in time," Leonidas suddenly comments. _'Was he picking through my mind?'_ No. He never does that. I guess my thoughts were _that_ loud or something. Yes…. He can hear my thoughts, too. Can be annoying at times.

"No," I say, "If you've forgotten already, we haven't known each other very long."

"That doesn't make a difference. You both love tinkering with Duel Runners. The both of you _created_ your own Duel Runners from scratch, for example. Your Dueling strategies are strikingly similar in my opinion. He even gambled his most precious card on that Duel between you and Jack. Much more but to keep it brief, you're now thinking, and even admitting, that every time the two of you make eye contact you don't have a clue on what's going on for at least a second. Didn't you get some warm feeling a few times?"

How the…? _'Since when are you some love expert-? Hold it….'_ I look at him curiously. "You're saying all this because of _Stardust Dragon_ , aren't you?" That's got to be it. Leonidas and Yusei's ace dragon are in love. Nothing else in my mind can compare at how much they care for the other.

"Half and half.

"Oh? And wha-?" A quick sneeze interrupts me. Not exactly sure why since I have zilch allergies.

"I'm not allowed to say. That would interfere with your decisions in the future, of course. Besides, that sneeze should be enough for you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I say while rubbing my nose.

"I'm just going to tell you that legend has it; whenever you would irrelevantly sneeze in such a way, it means someone close to you is talking about you."

I roll my eyes again. But….I'm a little worried now. Every 'legend' that Leonidas told me about has turned out to be true _every_ time. Wait…. _'Someone close…'_ My mind then decides to click on something. "Yugi's eyes are nowhere close to sparking up like Yusei's does," I remark.

"Maybe that's because you no longer love him for what he's done," Leonidas says so... directly and straight forwardly.

"I…" I…. can't answer or respond to that, "I'm not human, Leo. And I never will be," I say instead. I don't even know what to think about that. I mean…. I don't know. Whereas, Yusei hasn't mentioned one thing about his parents to me. So…. _'What if Yugi is all I have left…?'_ No. I can't even go there after what he's done. I still have Gramps, right? I wonder how he's doing… After a few more turns here and there, I stop at the door to his room. Well. Here I am.

I bring my hand up so I can knock, but I sort of freeze in place. I still have a chance to high tail it and just tell Yusei we really did talk. But…. Yusei would be able to tell that I'd be lying to him. My thoughts are cut off when the door suddenly opens. Bringing my arm down, I take a half step back when Yugi halts in his tracks.

He looks just as surprised as I feel right now. We sort of just stare at each other for a moment. Here, I notice that he isn't wearing his blue jacket. Just like in the vision I saw. Oh, and I can never leave out the fact that Naga's resting on his right shoulder, too. He still has on his wristbands, chains, and stuff, including his puzzle on its chain around his neck, but…..

The Duel we had must've cut him up pretty badly. A few bruises are still noticeable on his skin. For instance, his arms and his face. Heck, he even has some type of bandage, cast thing on his right forearm, and I can see where they probably wrapped somewhere around or on his left shoulder under his shirt. The bandages on his arm are hiding his Signer mark perfectly. He even has his Duel Disk on his left arm. I wonder why though…..

Yugi is the first to break our awkward silence. "Twilight."

* * *

 **C.C.: And we're ending it here.**

 **Ayame: You _force_ _d_ me to go talk to him?**

 **C.C.: I didn't. Yusei did.**

 **Kara: You can learn a thing or two from Leonidas, Dee Dee.**

 **Destiny: UGHH! *Walks out room***

 **Yusei: Should we be worried? She's not her best when angry like that.**

 **C.C.: Uh, well. We'll see. But, Ayame and Yugi should be worried. Heheheh.**

 **Ayame: Lovely... Is it _those_ characters Seth mentioned?**

 **C.C.: I dunno...Seriously, haven't even started the next chapter. Hm...If I think of something, you may be getting a completely new Deck. Speaking of _people_ , I just added another one for your future.**

 **Ayame: I'm gonna quit this job.**

 **C.C.: Sorry. Can't. OC's aren't allowed to quit.** **Anywho, review and tell me how this was! Ask questions, and MAYBE I'll answer them. Jack will flame this for you if you'd like.**

 **Jack: Hmph.**


	5. Chapter 5: Enter SS and ZZ

**C.C.: ...**

 **Kara: *Runs in with stack of papers and camera* We got it! You won't believe what happened!**

 **C.C.: Finally! It's about time. Just throw those over to Yusei. And-**

 **Kara: *Tosses stack to Yusei before whispering in C.C.'s ear***

 **C.C: *Chokes* Destiny admitted what now?**

 **Kara: I can't believe it either!**

 **Destiny: *Walks in* You're already putting words in my mouth! I didn't admit shit! I simply SAID it like YOU told me to.**

 **Kara: Tell that to the video I got of you saying it.**

 **C.C.: You recorded it? Gimme the camera. Now. *Receives camera and walks out door***

 **Yusei: Doesn't someone have to do the disclaimer?**

 **Leo: Me! Me! Cool Cat 2000 doesn't own Yugioh 5Ds. Ayame belongs to her.**

 **Recorded Voice: Z.Z. and S.S. belong to Shimmering-Sky. In addition to some of their spoken dialogue.**

* * *

"Now do you understand why I wanted to merge their strength?" Yugi shouts at me as the smoke clears.

"No. I. Don't," I growl back at him.

"Twilight, now is _not_ the time to be so stubborn," He responds.

"Stubborn?! Listen h-!"

"Attack them directly!" That cheery voice orders. I look back ahead of me to see a beam of blinding light heading directly toward me. I bring my glowing arm up defensively just before it hits. _Boom_

"No-!" Yugi yells. His voice is soon muffled by the second attack hitting. The second turn. They attacked both us _directly_ on the second freaking turn. **Ayame's LP: 3300; Yugi's LP: 3300**

 _ *******_ _ **Flashback**_ _ *******_

"You lost?!" I say. I'm sitting on a bench while hugging my knees. Yugi was leaning on the wall across from me with his arms folded over his chest. Both of our Duel Disks are resting on the side of me. Now, Yugi just told me who won that Duel between him and the woman I saw in that vision.

He nods in confirmation. "Yes. I can hardly believe it myself. I can't remember the last time I've lost a Duel."

"But, you were winning," I retort.

"I had the field advantage only for a short while. Although, she had said I was the victor against her "Celestial" cards…."

He trails off, and his eyes go distant while he faces the ground. I guess he's remembering whatever I didn't see. It's weird because I've never seen him like this. I rest my chin one my knees. Nope. I still can't believe it. Yugi _never_ loses. Sure, he's always on the _verge_ of losing a Duel from time to time. But he never lost. He always creates some strategy that allows him to win in the end. If it's not one, it's multiple strategies considering the Strategy Deck he's always used.

"Tell me," He suddenly says, "Do you have any knowledge about the Star Guardians?"

' _Star Guardians…?'_ I look over to Leonidas on my shoulder. A moment passes by and we simultaneously say, "Yanagi."

Wait… "You don't know anything, Leo?" I ask. He always knows about this sort of stuff. It's rare when he doesn't.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of it before," He answers.

"Nor have I. I've never even seen, much less heard of, such cards that woman possessed," Naga adds.

That's new. As far as I've been taught, all bakugan I would ever meet would somehow be deeply connected to the Crimson Dragon. And so far, each one of them are Signer Dragons. This just tells me that: Naga, Stardust, and Leo have to know at least _something_ about almost everything. Right? Or maybe even the Crimson Dragon's hiding a few things from his servants…

' _Star Guardians…. Star…. That reminds me,'_ I look back up to Yugi directly. "Did she have-"

"If it isn't tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum," A masculine voice cuts in along with a lone clapping sound. I jolt up to my feet in a defensive stance on reflex while Yugi leans his weight off the wall.

The one who's clapping stops after he walks around the corner Yugi and I heard him from. He's in a dark cloak, and only his face is revealed. I can see a little bit of blonde hair protruding from under the hood he has over his head.

Another person, a girl who looks older than the guy looks, walks up to his side with a cheerful smile on her face. I can see that she has blue eyes and blonde hair cascading over her shoulders from under her hooded cloak. Hers is just longer and it's wavy, sort of like mine is.

"The infamous Muto siblings," The guy says. He then bows down out of nowhere for no reason, "Quite the honor to be in the presence of-" his blue eyes are directly on me now, "-the _Kala Runihura_ , your _highnesses_. She who will pave the path of death and bloodshed is before us."

Um…what? The girl merely laughs a little, but she does a quick bow, too. They both stand up straight simultaneously. I can't even comprehend that last part of what he said. I mentally shake it off anyways. "Who are you to refer to her in such a way?" Yugi asks in a defensive tone. I quickly glance at him out of confusion. He understood that?

"Hm," The guy says when bringing his right arm up. Hanging from his hand, on a thin chain, is the last thing I want to see right now, "She can't just walk away from the darkness. It's part of who she is. The both of you really. We'll get to that. I doubt you've heard of us before, Yugi. But your sister?" He laughs when his arm and the crystal start glowing simultaneously.

"That mark!" Yugi gasps when he sees the dark spider mark glowing on both of their arms. Both of our Signer marks glow, too. Just like before, it feels weird this time. I know Yugi feels this difference, too. But, I'm not really worried about that right now. My eyes remain on the wretched thing that absorbs my energy. I feel like I'm losing it now. The guy takes a small, teasing, step toward us.

I respond by taking a half-step back. Yugi takes one in front of me—protectively I guess?—and holds out an arm. When he does this, that weakening feeling…lessens. Even the gem's glow dulls a little. Or I was just seeing things. "Who are you?" Yugi snaps.

"You were right," The guy says, completely ignoring Yugi's question again, as he brings his arm down. I guess he's talking to the girl, "That _Millenium_ _Puzzle_ really can create a problem."

"I tried to tell you, Big Brother," The girl replies, "It has the power to summon and control monsters, even the _Egyptian Gods_. Then there was that one chapter about being able to control the magic of Shadow Duels…"

I blink in surprise. She called him 'Big Brother'… This isn't going to be pretty. Not even that. She makes it sound like she knows a lot about Yugi's puzzle.

"I'll ask for the last time," Yugi says in the most intimidating tone I've ever heard him use, "Who. Are. You."

"Oh, where are my manners?" The guy laughs, "I am Z.Z. and this—" he gestures to the girl, "—is my younger sister, S.S."

I raise an eyebrow. _'Z.2. and S.2.?'_ Strange…

"Answer this," Yugi adds, "How is that you know about the powers my puzzle beholds?"

S.S. responds in a cheerful giggle. She then reaches inside of her cloak and pulls out a small satchel. Her hand goes inside of it and pulls out a thick book. When I see the cover completely, I feel my eyes narrow. "This of course," She answers. The book doesn't have a title in _words_ , but it _does_ have that Eye of Wdjat symbol as the cover. She slips it back in her bag and hides it under her cloak once more.

"How d-" Yugi is cut off.

"Ah-ah-ah," Z.Z. waggles his finger side to side, "answers never come for free _all_ the time, Yugi Solomon Muto. You will have to earn them from me."

"What proposition rests in your mind so we may receive the answers we seek?" Yugi asks. Z.Z. smirks when he brings out his left arm to reveal a Duel Disk, with black outlining, on it. Oh, he's on. I subconsciously strap mine on to my left arm.

"Entertain us. Then I'll answer more questions," Z.Z. replies while he activates his Duel Disk.

"Get your game on," I say while activating mine and stepping in front of Yugi. That same draining feeling slowly overcomes my being when I do this. Then, S.S. reveals her yellow Duel Disk and activates it.

Right after she does this, a dark ring of purple fire slowly surrounds all of us, and the lights go out in our area. While the circle is forming, I feel my marker sting a little. Now, the only light we have left is the light that the purple flames are releasing. _'This is exactly what Yusei's Duel looked like,'_

Except, this time is really different. There's an extreme sudden drop of temperature, and a really powerful and strong force courses through my body from the cold air. I hear the sound of a fourth Duel Disk activating next to me. I look to my side to see Yugi walking next to me. _'No. No,'_

"I know what you're thinking," Yugi tells me. He doesn't take his eyes off of S.S. and Z.Z. "But we have no other choice."

"No," The word escapes my mouth before I even think it, "Just no," I say as I turn to him. I refuse to Duel _with_ him. Dueling _against_ him is a completely different thing.

"You should listen to your big brother," S.S. advises in a sing-song voice. I feel an irritated growl escape my mouth.

"This'll be _so_ fun. I knew the two of you weren't on the best of terms," Z.Z. comments while his Deck is shuffling itself, "And maybe you never will be."

"You're going down. And I'm gonna be the one to do it," I turn back to Yugi, " _without_ your help."

"Twi-"

"No, Yugi! No means no. You should know that better than anyone. That….that was the only word I got from you before you…." I face the ground while closing my eyes. I already lived through it. I don't want to repeat it through words.

"I'm terribly sorry. I truly am," Yugi apologizes for the umpteenth time. I hear the laughter of Z.Z. in front of us which causes me to look up at them with a scowl.

"Goodie! We're getting a Shadow Duel _and_ the Muto family drama," He says. I swear he's some type of mental Dark Signer Drone…

"A two in one, right Big Brother," S.S. adds. I can see her Deck now shuffling itself, too. I take a step forward, but something stops me from progressing. I look down at my feet to see two shackles, made of the same purple fire as the ring, around my ankles. What the…. I bend my knee in an attempt to pull the thing from the wall or something.

"Release her!" Yugi demands. I glare at the things and focus on them. Due to my lack of energy, I think of one of the simplest spells I know. _'Izgaist.'_ _Shock._ I wince by closing my left eye when my marker emits those same purple electrical waves.

"Twilight!" Yugi shouts alarmingly as soon as he sees this happen.

I place my hand over my stinging marker. Dammit… Either that crystal's already taken my remaining strength or these shackles are weakening me, too. I look back up when I hear S.S.'s annoyingly cheery voice. "I do hope you're not trying to resist! That would be useless. I'm sorry we can't let you go, but how else would we be able to use our Dark Tuners and Dark Synhros for this Duel?"

"Dark Synchros?" Yugi asks.

"All in due time, your _highness_ ," Z.Z. smirks.

"You're insane." Yugi faces the ground when Z.Z. laughs in response, "What kind of person would toy with someone's mind in such a way?" Yugi raises his head, "Are you some kind of demented mad man?" I, personally, support that question.

"No, I'm a man who's undefeated," Z.Z. answers.

"Not for long. You've met your match, so get ready! It's time to Duel!" Yugi shouts.

 _ *******_ _ **End of Flashback**_ _ *******_

I don't feel anything ram into me. Not even that burning sensation I get every time any type of light attack hits me. Nothing. I slowly bring my arm down to learn that some type of crimson transparent bubble surrounding me. It disappears, and I see the same crimson light emerging from the smoke where Yugi is standing when I look over there.

The smoke clears, revealing a shocked-looking Yugi just staring bewilderingly ahead as his crimson bubble vanishes. This just tells me he wasn't expecting that either. My eyes wonder down to his puzzle only for me to realize it was glowing just as brightly as our Signer marks were. _'Did…that protect us?'_

When it begins to continue glowing, weakly now, Yugi suddenly kneels down. He looks exhausted now, and he's panting like he just sprinted a twenty mile marathon non-stop. "Not even a scratch?!" S.S. shouts.

"Don't worry, S.S. It's not you. It's that _puzzle_ ," Z.Z. responds. He spits out the last word as if it were venom on his tongue. "But when we win this, all of its power will belong to the Dark Signers. More importantly: us."

"This Duel…." Yugi states while struggling back to his feet, "has just begun!" S.S. just giggles while sliding a card in her Duel Disk.

"I end my turn with one card faced-down."

"It's my draw, then," I say, "You won't win, and I'll be sure of it."

"You can't do it alone, Twi. These lunatics are far too dangerous." Yugi inquires while eyeing mainly Z.Z., who laughs.

"Oh, Yugi-boy, I wouldn't go as far as the looney bin. Oh, nopety, nopety, no. I will admit this though," He stops laughing and grins, "With all due respect your highness, you're no match for us. Your tag team strategy will destroy you."

"I doubt it," Yugi cuts in, "We can play off the strength of each other's cards and work as a team as well as you can."

"Weren't you listening?" I say while closing my eyes. I feel his eyes on me when I hear him growl in question, "Working _with_ you is the last thing I'll ever do."

"You're wrong," He steadily replies.

"I can win this Duel without your help." I say in a straight tone as I open my eyes.

"Is that so? You know very well that—"

"—death comes before dishonor," I finish for him. "So, I think I'm making myself clear, Yugi."

" _Twi, if we don't have a team strategy we'll never win,"_ Yugi mentally adds. I don't respond or anything. I look at my hand of four cards—yes four— and then back out at the field.

Yugi had the first turn, and ended up with a face-down in the end. Let's see… On his turn, Yugi started out with a face-down. He then summoned his _White Stone of Legend_ to the field in defense mode, and –surprise, surprise—activated the _Card Exchange_ Spell Card. I didn't even know he had that card to begin with. After that, he placed another card faced-down. All in all, I know the exact five cards in his hand right now in the same way he knows what cards I hold except the one I just drew.

During S.S.'s turn, she had managed to send Yugi's tuner to the Graveyard, allowing Yugi to automatically add his _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ to his hand. Soon after that, she used her _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ 's ability to deal each of us 700 points of damage after Yugi and I were required to send the top card of our Decks to the graveyard. Her _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ seems like a pretty powerful card, because when we summon a monster now, that monster can attack.

Now, S.S. had: **Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress: ATK: 1700, DEF: 200 lvl. 4** and **Alta, Lightsworn Wizard ATK: 1400, DEF: 800 lvl. 3** on her field with that face down card behind them. Well, here goes… I choose a card and freeze when I hear Yugi's voice.

" _We can do this. We just have to Duel as a team."_ He says. I roll my eyes while I place one of _his_ cards on _my_ Duel Disk.

"I'm summoning _Breaker the Magical Warrior_ in attack mode. And because he was Normal Summoned, he's equipped with one Spell Counter, granting him 300 more attack points," I explain. A major part of me knows every one of Yugi's cards by heart.

 **Breaker the Magical Warrior ATK: 1900, DEF: 1000 lvl. 4** A masked knight in red and golden-lined armor appears before me. A pointed hat/helmet, much like _Dark Magician's_ except a different color, only reveals his mouth. He has a sword on one hand and his shield in the other, ready for battle. Then, a mystical blue flame appears out of thin air and begins to float in circles around him.

"Now, I'm activating his other effect," I start, "By removing his Spell Counter, I can destroy a face-down card on the field. I'm choosing that face-down you have there, S.S."

"No problem!" She happily replies. I'm starting to regret that move now, because either she's just too happy and cheerful for her own good, or she wanted me to do that. I mentally shake it off while the blue flame vanquishes and her face-down automatically shatters in the holographic light. **Breaker the Magical Warrior ATK: 1600**

"Before he attacks, I'm activating the _Book of Secret Arts_. All Spellcaster-Type monsters on our side of the field gain 300 more attack and defense points from now on," A very thick book appears in my Spell and Trap Card zone. **Breaker the Magical Warrior ATK: 1900, DEF: 1300**

" _Breaker the Magical Warrior_ , send her _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ to the Graveyard!" I order. He nods before dashing forward for his target. He brings his sword before him, and the warrior pierces it through the wizard's torso. It comes out of his back before the wizard broke in a light. **S.S.'s LP: 3500**

"I'm activating the Trap Card, _Magician's Circle_!" Yugi shouts, "This card activates when a Spellcaster declares an attack. It enables each of us to Special Summon one with 2000 or less attack points from our Deck in attack mode. I'm choosing my _Dark Magician Girl_!"

"I don't exactly have a choice on this one either," I say as my Deck starts glowing.

"Your Big Brother is so generous!" S.S. comments, "I'm going with my _Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner_ in attack mode!"

"My _Shaddoll Squamata_ should be useful next turn," Z.Z. adds. A realization hits me which causes me to glare at Yugi.

"You knew I'd summon _and_ attack w-"!

"Please, Twi. Not now," Yugi calmly states. His eyes remain on the Drones as there monsters appear on the field. Yugi just technically gave _everyone_ a freebie. Great.

 **Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000, DEF: 1700 lvl. 6; Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria ATK: 1800, DEF: 1400 lvl. 5; Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000 lvl. 3; Shaddoll Squamata ATK: 1800, DEF: 1000 lvl. 4**

 _Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner_ is a woman with really short blonde hair. Golden arm bands decorate her arms and coincide with the white and golden dress she has on. She's holding two rings of light in heach if her hands.

How _Shaddoll Squamata_ is a Spellcaster will forever be beyond me. To me, it just looks like a midnight blue and golden segmented lizard with strange shadows coming from its four feet. It even has dark strings on its feet as if it were a puppet.

 _Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria_ is the _only_ Spellcaster-Type monster in my entire Deck. Ever since Yugi gave her to me, she's never been taken out of my Deck. How could I? Her killer effect is perfect for _my_ Deck. That, and when her and _Dark Magician Girl_ are out on the field together like this, they're both pretty hard to beat. The two sister magicians look at each other and grin as a weak white aura surrounds them both. To me, they actually look content to see that their battling side by side instead of trying to destroy the other.

"Just like my sister and I, our two magicians are family. They support the other when in danger. Each gain 300 more attack points in addition to the Spell Card already activated," Yugi explains. Is he trying to make another point or something? **Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000; Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria ATK: 2400, DEF: 1700**

"Really? Where was that thinking seven years ago?" I snorted. Ever since I first saw him when returning, he really has changed. His voice is much more deeper, stronger, rougher, and even more confident from what I remember. He even has a change of tone in his voice. To me, it's considerably sterner. He's just more fierce and commanding now… I honestly don't understand Yugi. I don't think I want to either…

"I've strongly believed in it. That includes the day you were born," Yugi replies.

"Could've fooled me, Yugi…"

Yugi turns to look at me, "Open your eyes, Twyla. A part of me has always been a part of your Deck," I glance at him as I narrow my eyes, "You know I'm right, sis. My heart's in your Deck no matter where you are."

"So where was it when you turned your back on me?" I ask while looking at him. I feel my right fist clench in on itself, and even my Signer mark begins to sting a little, "Or what about when I needed _some_ other part of you when I cried myself to sleep every night?"

"I…didn't know…"

I force out a small chuckle when I turn back toward the field, "You never looked back. So, why should I?" I repeat from what I've always told myself. My right hand relaxes when it comes up to choose a card.

"Please, allow me to explain…" Yugi urges. "I'm begging you."

"Hohohohoho. If I knew there was going to be a waterworks show, I would've brought my camera," Z.Z. comments. Yugi and I look back at them. He's actually _enjoying_ all of this…

"I place one card face-down," I say instead. Yugi said it himself: now isn't the time, "I'm now activating _Valkyria's_ special ability. Once per turn, and in exchange for _Valkyria_ not attacking, I can Special Summon one Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard or even my hand. You remember that one card your wizard had me send to my Graveyard, don't you S.S.? Well, he's coming back. I'm Special Summoning my _Darkblaze Dragon_ to the field in attack mode."

A dark flame appears next to _Valkyria_ and my dragon appears. **Darkblaze Dragon ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000** My grey and red-orange looking dragon appears on the field with a roar. His red eyes look about ready to kill. He has two scythes as arms, and he stands on two feet.

"He's stronger than he should be," Z.Z. notes, which causes me to smirk.

"I'm glad you noticed. See, his special effect activates when he's Special Summoned from the Graveyard. His power is automatically doubled," I explain.

"Too bad he can't attack either!" S.S. comments after laughing, "Remember, since my _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ was the first monster I summoned, we can only attack with one monster on each of our first turns."

Yep. He's a pretty strong card if you ask me. "Then I end my turn," I respond. All I have are two cards right now. One from my own Deck, and the one from Yugi's Deck, a very useful one I might add.

"Finally, it's my turn!" Z.Z. swipes his card from his Deck. He doesn't even look at it. I do know his eyes are on my magician, " _Shaddoll Squamata_ , I'm activating your special ability to destroy _Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria_."

"Not if I activate my _Spellbinding Circle_ Trap Card," I add. The card reveals itself and a pentagram-like circle constricts the shadow lizard, "Your monster loses 700 attack points, it's effects are negated, and he can't attack or change his battle position now. That all you got?" **Shaddoll Squamata ATK: 1100**

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Z.Z. responds while he swipes a card down, "I'll begin by activating my _Super Polymerization_ Spell Card. By discarding my _Shaddoll Falco_ , I can send any monster currently out on the field to the Graveyard as my Fusion Materials," He then points at my dragon. "Say good-bye to your _Darkblaze Dragon_. I'm using your Fire-Type and my _Shaddoll Squamata_ to Special Summon _El Shaddoll Grysta_ in attack mode!"

My dragon vanishes from the field along with the lizard. Yugi's Trap Card that I had activated is destroyed, and while a swirl of light appears the shackles start to burn a little. Soon, they begin to shock me full power. With my eyes closed, I just stand there and endure the pain as the purple light overcomes me like some kind of aura or something. It feels like I'm getting my energy drained in a painful way.

Finally, it stops and I release the breath I had been holding. "Are you alright?!" Yugi demands. I don't answer, because first of all I'm panting in huge gulps of air right now. It's like these shackles are taking my own life force or something. I look back to the field to see whatever Z.Z. had summoned.

 **El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 2450, DEF: 1950 lvl. 7** It's…frightening in its own way. This monster has fire as two wings. It's a red man-like figure showered in flames. "I'm now activating my _Quick Attack_ Spell Card. My _Grysta_ can attack, and I'm letting him tear your _Valkyria_ to shreds!"

The fire man charges for my helpless magician airborne. I just stand and watch. I can't do anything. I don't have any cards in my hand that could get me out of this one.

"Not so fast!" Yugi shouts. Just before the attack was about to be executed, _Dark Magician Girl_ levitates in front of _Valkyria_. She points her staff at Z.Z.'s monster and her attack is released. In a burst of light, _Grysta_ 's destroyed.

I blink, because this is still trying to sink in. "There are two of us. I activated another one of _Dark Magician Girl's_ hidden abilities. When _Valkyria_ is selected as an attack target, that attack is redirected at my magician instead so long as the monster is weaker than _Dark Magician Girl_. Looks like you forgot that you're Dueling against a team. And she just saved my sister's magician."

I glare over at Yugi. I open my mouth to say something, but my own monster stops me from doing so. _Valkyria_ looks at me with her signature smile and shakes her head. I guess it's the look in her eyes that causes me to close my mouth.

"I expected this much from you, Yugi," Z.Z. says. **Z.Z.'s LP: 3850** "You're no fun. We can't have any more dragons swarming the field. However, I'll activate my Tuner _Shaddoll Falco's_ special effect. You see, since he was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect he returns to the field in defense mode."

 **Shaddoll Falco ATK: 600, DEF: 1400 lvl. 2** This time, Z.Z.'s monster looks like some type of dark purple and blue metalloid bird. It has a purple button on its belly and more smaller ones on its wings and feet. Dark strings are coming from these 'buttons' like puppet strings. "I'm not finished yet, I activate the _Monster Reborn_ Spell Card. It lets me Special Summon my _El Shaddoll Grysta_ back to the field." **El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 2450, DEF: 1950 lvl. 7**

Shit. We're technically back at square one again, and now these shackles are starting to burn my ankles again. I'm really not in the mood to play this game with Z.Z. now. Z.Z. starts to chuckle suddenly when his monsters are being absorbed by a dark light. I begin to breath heavily again, and I start seeing black dots. _'I feel so…weak.'_ "I'll now be tributing my _Falco_ and my _Grysta_ to summon my _Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand_ to the field." **Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand ATK: 0, DEF: 0 lvl. 10**

"Dark Tuner?" Yugi wonders.

"Results… in Dark Synchros…" I grunt before falling over.

* * *

 **C.C.: *Walks back in* Destiny, really?! They're gonna find out. *Tosses camera back to Kara* Then you're never gonna get another-**

 **Destiny: *Clamps hand over C.C's mouth* If you finish that sentence, I WILL kill your OC.**

 **Ayame: I'm soo petrified. And Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria?**

 **C.C.: Ireland's idea. It's exactly what Magician's Valkyria looks like. My version's just been given a different name base and a bad*ss effect.**

 **Ayame: Oh...kay... Then why did you** **have me faint in the middle of a Shadow Duel? I don't appreciate that.**

 **C.C.: I'm hoping a lot of people don't. And well, you'll see.**

 **Yusei: How long are you planning this Duel to be.**

 **C.C.: That is actually a very excellent question. *Sighs* I just got back from running five miles. So, I really don't have much to say.**

 **Jack: Tch. Can't handle the heat?**

 **C.C.: Not when it's one-hundred freaking degrees outside AND when you have to SPRINT half a mile right after the fifth one. What kind of 'cooling down' exercise is that?! Anywho, before I lose it, review and tell me how this was. Just maybe, MAYBE, you'll get a taste of what's to come... (The ACTUAL torture. Heheheh.)**

 **Ayame: You let some random strangers know what's about to go down, but not your own OC?**

 **C.C.: Precisely. Leave a review and criticize it and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6: Deeply Fast

**C.C.: Guess who's back at it?! Ah! *Avoids thrown pineapple* Hey! That was _my_ pineapple!**

 **Ayame: I don't blame them... You haven't updated for what? Five months?**

 **C.C.: _Only_. No biggie. The only reason I'm able to update is partially because of the encouraging reviews I read on this story. Geez, why don't you guys review more often?**

 **Jack: Either way your viewers must not be very happy with you.**

 **Yusei: Is it just me or is it a little _too_ quiet at the moment?**

 **C.C.: I uh, sent the muses on a, um, little mission. Heheh.**

 **Yugi: Do they even know the meaning of 'little'?**

 **Ayame: Of course they don't. They're muses.**

 **C.C.: ANYWHO, let's get on with the show, shall we? *Throws notebook at Yusei***

 **Yusei: Why am I always the one doing your job?**

 **C.C.: Let's get on with it! Oh! Right! *Ahems***

 **Roses are red**

 **Violets are blue**

 **I don't own Yugioh 5D's**

 **So please don't sue!**

 **Ayame: Don't forget about S.S. and Z.Z. belonging to Shimmering-Sky.**

 **C.C.:That too! Now without further ado... (Man, I should be poet.)**

* * *

"… _Yugi,"_

" _Yes, Grandpa?" Yugi responds. He's standing next to the hospital bed our grandfather is in. His back is facing me, but I'm able to see Gramps' face. He looks so weak and tired._

" _Your sister," Gramps begins, "her powers are beginning to awaken."_

" _Is she a psychic duelist?" Yugi wonders. Gramps' eyes seem to sadden._

" _I wish she were only that my boy. Ayame is far more powerful. She's in danger because of the potential she has."_

" _Hold on," Yugi says, "is that why Rex Goodwin was here? Because of her?"_

 _Grandpa's expression begins to display shock and fear. His eyes slightly narrow as he speaks. "I want you two to stay far away from that man, my boy."_

" _That's kind of hard to do, Granpa. Wherever we go together he makes some sort of flashy appearance out of nowhere. He even came up to us one time."_

" _Yugi, Goodwin is a very dangerous man. You can't let him anywhere near Ayame any longer from now on. Once he finds out about her magic he-"_

" _Magic?" Yugi cuts in. "But I thought only the Millenium Items had magic? And what about you? I can't protect her alone."_

 _Everything begins to go fuzzy from here. Even their voices are starting to sound distant. I hear Granpa chuckle. "Hohoho. Your very own sister is magical alright," He stops laughing before continuing, "I'm afraid I don't have much longer, my boy."_

" _It's not because of the injuries, is it? You'll get well soon, back to your old self in no time." Yugi assures, "Besides, I took way more hits than you did that day. The doctors said I should've…you know, on the spot. Instantly."_

" _You've never been told this before, but you and Ayame share a very special bond that is most unusual. And powerful might I add."_

 _In all the fuzziness that keeps increasing, I see Gramps shakily bring his hand up. It looks like it's holding something, but I'm really not sure what._

" _What do you mean, Granpa? What is this?"_

 _ **XXX**_

"I'm activating my _Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand's_ special effect. Because he was normal summoned, I can Special Summon my _Shaddoll Falco_ back to the field in defense mode," Z.Z.'s voice explains. **Shaddoll Falco ATK: 600, DEF: 1400 lvl. 2**

I don't feel my body lying on the ground. Instead, I see Yugi's glowing mark in my blurry vision. My eyes slowly wonder down to the golden bracelet around my right wrist. My charm is dully glowing. Like it's trying to shine or something.

"I don't think she has enough strength right now, Big Brother," S.S. tells him. I glare at the two while Z.Z.'s Dark Tuner hovers in the air. These shackles start to emit an intensified shocking and burning pain. I guess I'm being completely shocked again since I now hear Yugi silently grunting through the pain as well. Suddenly, it stops and I hear Yugi panting in my right ear.

"My next turn shall I bring him out. The playing field isn't in my favor anyway. How else am I suppose to reap the ultimate amount of chaos possible without the correct pieces?" Z.Z. states before laughing, "Ayame, that was quite the interesting vision, wasn't it? Quite the…déjà vu wouldn't you say?"

' _How did he…?'_ I think when I regain my breath.

"What are you getting at?" Yugi asks since I felt that Yugi knew it somehow involves him. I guess he _didn't_ see what I did after all. It's strange… I hate admitting this silently but Z.Z. is sort of right. Something about that vision _did_ feel strikingly familiar. I'm really not sure what I saw exactly because it's already becoming a blur. I weakly push Yugi away and struggle up to my feet. He was previously kneeling down, supporting me. He walks back to his previous Dueling position while Z.Z. talks.

"Wait and see, your majesty," Z.Z. declares while placing two cards faced-down, "Unless you're willing to entertain me your next turn."

"You'll never withstand the power of our combined Dueling Decks, and I'm about to prove it." Yugi shouts. I fight the fatal urge to release a groan. Knowing him, he's going to summon the other card he gave to me that's also never left my Deck. He quickly glances at me, and then looks back at Z.Z.

"Why don't you unlock her from those shackles and finish this duel with honor?" He suggests.

"With honor?! And ruin all the fun? Never." Z.Z. chuckles.

"Have it your way," Yugi responds. His eyes never left the lunatic, "But answer this. Why did you really come down here? And why are you using my own sister's life force in a Duel in which the loser gets sent to the Netherworld?"

"Enough with the semantics!" S.S. suddenly intervenes, "Just make your move already. Unless you're just trying to delay your inevitable defeat."

"You haven't won this duel yet." Yugi retorts.

"Don't threaten me, you little whipper-snapper. You're weak. I can see it in your eyes." Z.Z. says.

"Wrong! We will prevail!" Yugi answers while drawing his card. "And to prove it, I'm summoning the voice of the forest-" I look over to him because this catches my attention, "- _Celebi_ in defense mode."

He didn't summon the Eon he gave me. I look down at the card I want to summon next and back out to the field as another one of my monsters appear. **Celebi ATK: 600, DEF: 1000 lvl. 3** The small green, fairy-like, creature with wings appears with a cheerful cry. _Celebi_ has blue eyes, two antennas with blue tips, two legs, and two arms with three fingers. She curls up into a ball to assemble the position she was summoned as.

Yugi silently stands there. He's looking at the cards in his hand intently. I wonder what strategy he's coming up with. Or at least that's what I think until I hear his voice. _"What's the matter?"_

I blink and quickly glance at him. I hope Z.Z. or S.S. didn't catch it. _"Nothing?"_

" _You're lying."_

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. So I just narrow them instead. _"What did you see?"_ He asks.

" _Why do you assume I saw something?"_

" _Your mind went astray and returned only to be feeling mortified seconds after."_

Before I can mentally tell him that I don't even remember what I saw, Z.Z. starts laughing. "Why don't you make your move, Yugi? You're not trying to delay your trip to the Netherworld, are you?" I honestly doubt that. Knowing him, he probably just figured out some strategy during our little talk.

"Not quite," Yugi says," _Dark Magician Girl_ send Z.Z.'s _Nightmare Hand_ to the graveyard using your _Dark Energy Burst_!" _Dark Magician Girl_ leaps in the air and points her scepter at the dark tuner. Z.Z. only laughs while one of his face down cards flips over.

"Yugi, you never learn. I activate the _Shaddoll Sacrifice_ Trap Card. As its name suggests, by sending my _Falco_ to the grave your attack is negated." Z.Z. tells him. His _Shaddoll_ intercepts the attack and is quickly destroyed.

"Very well," Yugi says, "I'm sacrificing-"

"Sorry!" S.S. shouts while her last face down reveals itself, "By activating my _Crystal Fang_ , neither of you are allowed to sacrifice your monsters anymore. Just as long as I have a Lightsworn on the field." When her card begins to glow, so do our monsters. Small glowing golden spots appear on each one of them like the stuff is glitter.

"I place two cards face-down." Yugi finishes.

I'm a little surprised. I wasn't expecting him to make the moves he did. I wonder what he's up to. "You know there is only one way we can win," He tells me. I look at him, and his eyes meet mine. He's never gonna drop this is he?

"I don't need you telling me how to Duel, Yugi. You can save the 'teamwork' speech, got it? Who needs it?" I respond verbally.

"You do," He steadily answers.

"If you two are finished arguing," Z.Z. mentions, "It's my sister's turn. S.S. don't forget to arrange the field come my next turn," My brother and I look back to our opponents as she draws her card. Just as she draws her next card, a strong sensation pulses throughout my entire body.

" _You felt it, too?"_ Yugi suggests. I slightly nod as my answer. What is she up to? Whatever it is I'm about to find out soon because these shackles are beginning to sting.

"Alright!" She shouts while slamming the card she drew onto her duel disk, "I'm activating my Field Spell! Yugi, you remember this card, don't you?"

As a response Yugi gasps enough for me to hear him. "No…!" I look at him to ask what was going on, but the shackles beat me to it. Instead I slam my eyes shut to get through the zapping pain silently. Just for a split second the pain seems to fade when I begin to see quick flashes of white light. Right after the shackles stop shocking me, my eyes snap open. I feel a gasp escape my mouth along with my scanning eyes. We're not in the hospital anymore...

"Um, do you see what I see?" I say.

"Unfortunately." Yugi answers.

"Then… you mind telling me why we're floating in space?" I ask while looking at the endless stars.

"I don't know…" Yugi trails off while doing the same.

Both of our opponents appear before us. "I suggest you take us back," Yugi snaps.

"My, my, but we never left," Z.Z. answers. This catches Yugi and me off guard simultaneously. S.S. giggles at our confusion.

"Don't you remember this card, Yugi?" S.S. repeats.

"The _Nebulous Deuteros Field Spell_ ," Yugi answers while the both of us watch a large outline of the spider mark form within the dueling field at everyone's feet as one shape, "It's different from what I remember." If Yugi's dealt with something like this before, then that should be good thing, right?

"Well of course!" Z.Z. cuts in, "From what we've heard, you've beaten the original. I guess you could say this is one of the many blessings the Dark Signers have granted us."

"There's only one way for anyone to possess such a card. And the Dark Signers isn't the answer," Yugi states. So, does that mean the Dark Signers are in cahoots with someone else then?

"Ah, but the Dark Signers have opened my eyes after all mind you," Z.Z. proudly replies.

"You mean they took over your mind, don't you?" Yugi implies.

"Fufufufufu. Without them this card would be impossible," Z.Z. responds.

"You're a fool to believe in such things," Yugi cuts Z.Z. off, "And that will be your downfall."

Z.Z. chuckles before explaining, "Look around you. This isn't even close to being half the darkness created by the both of you alone."

And so I scan the place once more. The colors do represent some type of dark magic… violet, like the streaks in my hair, some dark pink here and there, and in some areas, instead of a bright star, small spots of pure darkness can be found. _'Like a black hole,'_ I think. After I rethink Z.Z.'s words I look over to Yugi in question. He looks so…stressed. I look down at his right hand. It's clenched into a fist to where the white of his knuckles are showing. I've never seen him this quiet before.

"We haven't forgotten about you, of course!" S.S. chirps while looking directly at me, "What kind of hosts would we be if we left you out of all the fun?"

"Hosts? I thought this was a duel?" I inquire.

"We'll get to that, your majesty," Z.Z. answers, "You see, Ayame, you and the very card we're putting into play share a common past in some way. A shared memory if you will. Something you were far too young to remember. Heheheh."

"I thought it had nothing to do with age, Big Brother?" S.S. implies with feint empathy, "Didn't the owner of my field spell tell us that she was far too tired to fight?"

"Ah, thank you for refreshing my memory, dear sister. An easy victory against you Ayame wouldn't be satisfying after all now would it?" Z.Z. asks me.

"You're sick," Yugi comments.

"I'm the sick one? Your very heart is filled with evil. The evil you claim to be fighting. To me, you represent the darkness in all humans. That includes your sister of course," Z.Z. answers while curling a strand of his golden hair with a finger in a bored manner.

"Be silent! Finish your move, S.S." Yugi tells her. She smiles giddily as her response.

I look at Yugi out of slight shock from his mini outburst. _"What are they talking about?"_ I ask him. _"What's the big deal with S.S.'s field spell? And what does it have to do with me?"_

" _Don't listen to them,"_ Yugi strictly answers. I even feel myself jump a little at the tone of his voice. It's so tight…like the sound of a lyi-

"Oh, looky! Perfect timing!" Z.Z. shouts while gazing at the ground. The rest of us do the same, and I can't believe what I'm seeing. We're hovering over a dark field. One side has cloaked figures, the other has people in white clothing, something a priest of ancient times would have.

"Just what exactly are you trying to prove with all of this?" Yugi wonders as we're looking at the soon-to-be-looking battlefield.

"All this is just some vision you're experiencing at the moment. You'll either get shown things as they once were or what they might one day be. If we're lucky, we'll be taking a one-way trip down memory lane," Z.Z. explains. I open my mouth, but before I can even finish my previous thought I see that these people have glowing marks on their arms.

The dark cloaked figures have purple marks, like these two drones have, and the other side have marks like ours. "What is this?" I say.

"The war between the shadows and the light five thousand years ago," Z.Z. answers.

"You mean the war between the Dark Signers and the Crimson Dragon himself?" Yugi suggests.

"Precise as always, your majesty," S.S. gingerly compliments him.

My eyes don't leave the field while seven dragons appear out of no where behind the Signers on the ground. The same happens with the Dark Signers, yet the only difference was that their monsters were enveloped in the shadows and they weren't dragons. My eyes return to the seven dragons and just like before I recognize six out of seven of them: _Black Rose Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Ancient Fairy Dragon, Silent Dragonoid Naga, Stardust Dragon,_ and _Leonidas._ The other one is a white dragon with pink markings flying next to Naga.

"Recognize anything?" Z.Z. asks, "Preferably, the Signer dragons?"

"All of them except one," I tell him.

"Pity," Z.Z. deadpans.

"Tell us, what's happening?" Yugi wonders.

"This is the final confrontation between the light and the shadows! This is how the Crimson Dragon came to be," S.S. explains while the seven dragons fly toward the creatures of darkness and begin to glow, "The dragons had finally realized that they couldn't win with their individual strength, so they combined their power into a single being, the Crimson Dragon."

While she's explaining this the Crimson Dragon appears above the other ones. Finally, they all stop in front of their enemies and each release a breath of a mystic light. "But the combined power of the dragons and their crimson hero wasn't exactly enough," Z.Z. states.

Behind the dark beings another shadowed figured rises into the air above them. It's the form of that of a human...with wings similar to mine. The form releases some dark light toward the dragons. It quickly consumes them until neither of them can be seen anymore. We're soon returned to the endless outer space of darkness with a few bright stars here and there.

"But in the end the Crimson Dragon and his servants were victorious," Yugi concludes, "Otherwise the Dark Signers wouldn't be attempting to make such a comeback beginning with you lunatics."

"You just said..." I begin, "Then how _did_ the Signers win that war if the Crimson Dragon wasn't enough?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Z.Z. answers my question with a question of his own. This catches even Yugi off guard. S.S. giggles before explaining what Z.Z. meant.

"See, no one really knows _how_ but we do know that the Dark Signers were unsuccessful in the end. And the final battle you just saw has been a mystery for over five thousand years as to how exactly the Signers won the war."

"An inconclusive ending, wouldn't you say?" Z.Z. adds, "What we do know is that the shadow army was defeated, but not completely destroyed. They were simply imprisoned."

"Forming the Nazca Lines, correct?" Yugi inquires.

Z.Z. starts clapping while he laughs. "So you do have some knowledge on the Crimson Dragon's history. It's a shame your sister's been left in the dark of this for so long. You do know that the both of you have the spirit of a dragon within you right?"

Yugi and I don't say anything more. Not only because I really didn't know that, but because I really don't know what to say. I look over at Yugi yet again. I know I should be, but I'm not really surprised that he knows a little about all of this. "Didn't the shadow army take one of the dragons with them?" Yugi implies.

"Of course!" S.S. answers. It takes me a minute to figure out what they mean. Then it hits me.

" _Ancient Fairy Dragon!_ " I yell.

"Indeedy!" Z.Z. shouts. "Oh, you're getting good at this! So good! Goodie!"

"But, I still don't understand," I say, "Didn't you just say they've been trapped under the ground for five thousand years?"

"It's not something you can easily predict, Twi," Yugi answers for me. I look at him to see that his eyes haven't left our opponents. "This all ties in with the Ener-D Reactor after all, doesn't it?"

"The what?" I ask.

"Silly, girl!" S.S. beams, "The Ener-D Reactor was built to absorb the positive energy created through dueling. But instead of releasing useful positive energy negative energy erupted and split Domino into two."

" Creating the Satellite," I say aloud.

"And because this release of energy was so powerful, the army of shadows was awoken." Z.Z. concludes.

"Up until this point they've been feeding on that negative energy, haven't they?" Yugi states.

 _'If those shadows really are released...'_ I think while that duel between Jack and I comes back to me. I can't get that vision of what we saw out of my head.

 _"We won't let that happen,"_ Yugi thinks back. I look back to him and meet his eyes. He nods and looks at S.S. as she continues her move.

"I activate _Lumina's_ special ability," S.S. says, "By sending my _Fabled Cerburrel_ to the graveyard from my hand I can bring _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ back to the field. And that's not all! See, because I discarded _Fabled Cerburrel_ to the graveyard he's allowed to come onto the field as well!"

I feel an irritated sigh escape my nose. She still has her normal summon left if she wants to even go through with it. Her monsters appear on the field in a bright flash of light.

 **The Fabled Cerburrel ATK: 1000, DEF: 400 lvl. 2; Alta, Lightsworn Wizard ATK: 1400, DEF: 800 lvl. 3** Her _Cerburrel_ is a red bear cub with three heads and an iron sphere with green eyes and a flashing smile with sharp teeth. _Alta_ is a cloaked wizard in white with a hood over its shadowed face. He has a scepter in his left hand and an orb of golden light in his right.

While I'm gazing at her wizard, he begins to glow unusually bright. "Great," I comment, "What else can your wizard do besides cause damage on the very first turn?"

"I'm so glad you asked! After I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard, I can increase or decrease a monster's level on my side of the field so long as it's a Light-Type. I think I'll increase _Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress's_ level by one."

 **Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress lvl. 4 to 5**

"Twi, she has something planned." Yugi tells me.

"Obviously. I know what's going on," I say, "I don't need you babying me all the time. You weren't thinking that before, were you?"

"Twilight." Yugi says in a low and warning tone. I ignore him and keep my eyes on S.S. She isn't done with her move just yet. She extends her hand out in front of her as her _Lyla_ and _Cerburrel_ rise into the air.

" _Fabled Cerburrel_ , I think it's about time you give _Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress_ a little tune up! I Synchro Summon _Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn_!" S.S. yells. _Cerburrel_ transforms into two glowing rings just before _Lyla_ jumps into them. When they both vanish, I feel a quick sting from the shackles soon to be followed by a small shock, though it was enough to surround me in another aura of purple electricity.

 **Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000 lvl. 7** When the light, and pain, disappeared S.S.'s Synchro monster came to be mounted on a white-winged beast with red eyes. He's a golden armored man with a javelin in his left hand. The white beast releases a cry that causes me to slightly flinch.

"I'm not finished yet," S.S. adds, "I'm activating the equip spell card, _Lightsworn Sabre_! This gives my _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_ 700 more attack points."

 _Alta's_ scepter shortly turns into a saber of light as his power is boosted. **Alta, Lightsworn Wizard ATK: 1400 to 2100** "Most impressive, sister," Z.Z. praises, "You are dramatically improving. You haven't even normal summoned a monster yet."

"I don't really think I need to," S.S. chimes.

"Allow me to assist you in your assault," Z.Z. says while his last face down reveals itself, "I'm activating my equip spell card as well. _Phalanx Pike_ grants _Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner_ 900 more attack points for each _Lightsworn_ in either of our graveyards."

"Let's see… I sent my _Ehren, Lightsworn Monk_ to the grave because of _Alta's_ effect. Then there's _Lyla_ So that's only 1,800 more attack points." S.S. cheers. **Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner ATK: 1000 to 2800**

"Before you continue, S.S., be sure to use your abilities wisely," Z.Z. advises.

"Just like always, I'm waiting for the right moment," S.S. laughs, " _Michael, the Arch-Lighsworn_ , attack _Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria_. _Alta_ , send her _Breaker the Magical Warrior_ to the Graveyard. _Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner_ attack her directly!"

I don't exactly have any more cards on my field to get me out of this one. I close my eyes when I shield myself using my right arm. But, the attacks don't come. I reopen my eyes to see a bunch of _Celebi_ in front of me and Yugi, including our monsters. It's like a defensive wall of _Celebi's_.

I quickly glance over to Yugi to see that he had activated his _Double Team_ Spell Card. "Not surprising," S.S. says as her monsters attack the _Celebi_ only to result in more appearing. They soon retreat back to their previous positions on her side of the field.

"There you go, again. Next time, just let me take the hit. I could've rebounded in my own way!" I snap at Yugi unintentionally.

"Twi, if you expect to see Yusei, or even the others, again we need to help each other," Yugi responds. His eyes remain on Z.Z. and S.S. "Remember, the minute one of us falls, the other won't stand a chance against their unified tag-team assault."

"What's Yusei got to do with this, and are you questioning my skills as a Duelist, Yugi?"

"I'm saying that we must put the past aside for now and combine our Decks in order to defeat these Shadow Drones. They Duel as a team, building on one another's moves. And we have to do the same. I saved you, and if you don't protect me the same way I may not be around to save you again." Yugi counters.

"Oh, so now you're giving me a choice?" I ask. This caught him off guard, because he finally looks back at me.

"There never was one to begin with. I did it for your safety. When you went missing, I was crushed."

A low growl escapes my throat. _'Then good riddens.'_ I think while facing the field. My monster had made a defensive wall before us using one of Yugi's cards. Without that combo,I'll admit, I would've been a goner.

"I activate the spell card _Renewal of Light_ ," S.S. announces, "This card allows my brother and I to draw until we have a full hand."

"How generous of my sister," Z.Z. comments while drawing his cards, "Just what I need for my next move."

"I'll end my turn with two cards faced down," S.S. says as she discards eight cards because of her _Lightsworn_ effects. After doing this, a quick shock courses through my body. The same must've happened to Yugi since I can hear him grunt from pain. **Ayame's LP: 2950; Yugi's LP: 2950**

When the electricity stops, I pant in gulps of air. "Oh, how silly of me!" S.S. giggles, "I guess I forgot to mention my Field Spell's effect. For every card I send to the graveyard because of a card effect only 50 points of damage is dealt to you during the end phase of my turn from now on. Pretty neat, huh? Custom made for my deck."

' _Only…'_ I repeat mentally. Those 50 points a card is going to add up in no time. "My move," I say while drawing my next card. I have to get Leo out onto the field and fast. Yet, I want to play as many Dragon-Types as possible. I finally look at the next card I drew and grit my teeth a little. Looks like I'm going to have to take the defensive until my next draw, but I have to get rid of that dark tuner.

"From my hand I summon _Milotic_ in defense mode. _Breaker the Magical Warrior_ how about we get rid of _Nightmare Hand_ ourselves?" I say.

"Hold on!" Yugi warns me.

I ignore him and order Yugi's monster to attack. As an answer he charges for Z.Z.'s monster at full speed. "When will you ever listen to your big brother?" S.S. wonders while one of her own trap cards activate. "I activate _Heaven's Oracle_!"

"What's that do?" I ask while _Breaker the Magical Warrior_ changes direction. Before she answers, I figure out what it does and watch helplessly as my monster begins to attack S.S.'s _Alta_ instead. _Breaker_ swipes at the _Lightsworn's_ saber just before _Alta_ shoots an orb of light at him. Yugi's monster vanishes from the field in a flash of light at the same moment I begin to get shocked. **Ayame's LP: 2750**

"Are you alright?" Yugi asks me as soon as the shock wave lays off. I should've known S.S. had something up her sleeve. What I don't understand is why didn't Z.Z. dark synchro summon right when he had the chance? The both of them are doing all they can to protect that thing. I'll have to go with plan A then: take the defensive from now on.

"Before you move on, _Heaven's Oracle_ ended your battle phase as well," S.S. mentions.

"That's fine. I'm switching _Valkyria_ into defense mode. Since she hasn't attacked this turn, I'm allowed to special summon _Latios_ from my hand in defense mode. I end my turn with a face down," I say. Well, that's that. Only a face down that can help turn this duel around with zilch cards in my hand. Fantastic. There wasn't much else I could do.

 **Latios ATK: 2200, DEF: 1400 lvl. 6; Marvel Scaled Milotic ATK: 400 DEF: 2000 lvl. 2** My aquatic serpentine monster appears behind the wall of _Celebi_ right before coiling into its aforementioned position. _Latios_ , Yugi's monster, appears right next to _Milotic_.

 _Latios_ is a bird-like, dragon with an aerodynamic body, just like _Latias_ except he's blue. He has a red triangular marking on its chest instead of it being blue. He tucks in his white and blue arms into its body and levitates closer to the ground. _Latios_ never did like fighting to begin with, but he isn't exactly a defensive monster either. In the biological world of Duel Monsters, _Latios_ is the older brother of _Latias_. Or so I was told. When they're out on the battle field together they're both _unbeatable_.

" _We need to find a way to destroy their monsters not hide from them."_ Yugi tells me after I place my card faced down. He really does have a point considering I just summoned a dragon in defense mode behind another wall of defense. _Milotic_ and _Latios_ are showered in the same golden-like glitter as well due to _Crystal Fang_ still being in play.

"Tell me," I say, "What does this field spell have to do with me?" Ever since it's been activated, I've been feeling strange. It feels like I'm fighting some constant urge to…something.

"Wowzie!" Z.Z. shouts, "You expect me to answer such a question after a pathetic move? Maybe I'll throw a freebie in if I'm really feeling it," Z.Z. laughs while drawing his card. "Oh sister dear, how will I ever get past their petty wall of defense?"

"The answer's already on your field, isn't it, Big Brother?" S.S. wonders playfully.

"Half of it at least," He answers while inserting a card, "Although, before I officially begin, I'm beginning to get a little sick and tired of not being able to completely see my opponents suffer because of that thing." Next thing I notice is that our wall of _Celebi_ begins to glow. Suddenly, they all merge back into the original.

"Not only does this card reduce your _Celebi_ army back down to one by destroying your Spell Card, but my _Battle Release_ spell card also relieves your _Celebi_ of duty so long as I discard the top card of my deck directly to the graveyard. It's only a matter of time before we destroy you both. This was even easier than I thought," Z.Z. says as _Celebi_ is destroyed along with Yugi's spell card. I look over to him in question to see if he's going to use _Celebi's_ special ability.

Instead, he silently stands there as he waits for Z.Z. to finish his move. I guess I'm not surprised since it wouldn't exactly benefit any of us right this minute. Out of nowhere I start getting electrocuted. When I feel my energy drop dramatically, I lower down to one knee.

"I've waited long enough for this moment," Z.Z. says, "Dear sister, may I?"

"You may," S.S. answers. I open one of my eyes to see what was happening. S.S.'s _Alta_ is rising high into the air along with _Nightmare Hand_.

"Now, I dark tune _Nightmare Hand_ to _Alta, Lightsworn Wizard_!"

"Dark tune?" Yugi wonders.

" _Nightmare_ Hand, vanquish the light of _Alta_ and awaken the world without light!" Z.Z. exclaims.

"The stars," I hear Yugi say, "they're dark."

Z.Z. then starts a chant I don't think I've ever heard before. _"From the light of earth the dark descends, should it return that all depends, when hands point up to moonlit skies, on behalf of your soul the darkness is revived!"_

"Ahh!" I shout instantly when the electrifying jolt gets worse immediately after his chant. I feel like I'm being ripped apart. I just want the pain to go away.

"Come forth, _Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis_!" Z.Z. calls out. My cries of pain only increase right when the pain transcends to another level of torture. At the sound of a menacing roar the pain completely stops. My hands go to the ground out of exhaustion and relief. When I open my eyes I realize that I'm shaking uncontrollably. I'm not sure if I can last in this duel much longer at this rate.

"What is that?" Yugi asks. I look up to see a purple beast I've never seen before. It's like something anyone would hear about in one of those mythical stories.

 **Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis ATK: 2800 DEF: 1600 lvl. -7** It's like a combination of something that included a dragon as one creature. The first features I notice are its dragonic ones of course. _Ragnor's_ body is a four-legged one of purple scales. This thing has two sets of wings. The first set, belonging to that of a dragon, are yellow and the second set, which is smaller and just behind the first, are yellow bat-like wings. His blood-red eyes are the least of my worries. His head has two sets of horns, which curve back, as well. Two on top of his head and the other two near his jaw. Yellow small spikes protruded on his back beginning at its head and ending at its tail. His long scorpion-like tail ends with two stingers large enough to capture its prey. It's its own type of chimera I guess.

Dark shadows escape his nostrils which causes me to shiver. "Now I understand," Yugi says, "You needed S.S.'s monster to begin with."

"How perceptive," Z.Z. says before laughing. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we? Allow me to explain. _Ragnor_ may attack my opponents equal to the number of cards I have in my hand."

My eyes narrow when Yugi says the number. It's just enough to clear our entire "That's five."

"Precisely," Z.Z. says, " _Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis,_ send their sorry excuses for a monster to the graveyard!"

After he gives the command, _Ragnor_ raises his scorpion tail high in the air. Along with another one of his menacing roars, he slams the tip of his tail hard into the ground in front of him. _'Here it comes,'_ I think seconds before the shock itself comes.

This time, I try my best not to shout in pain. I hear the cries of pain from both Yugi and I's monsters on the field. I even hear Yugi shout as his life point count decreases. **Yugi's LP: 2750** " _Ragnor_ , attack her highness directly!"

"Twi!" Yugi shouts. I open my eyes only to see _Ragnor_ himself coming after me. I don't even have enough time to blink. I'm slammed up against the now unseen fire wall with both of this thing's stingers up against my neck. My hands try to pry them off, but I only feel myself being pressed against the burning wall more.

"Call him off!" Yugi demands.

"Now allow me to show you your wake up call through the power of the darkness created by the two of you alone!" I hear Z.Z. shout. My eyes subconsciously meet _Ragnor's_ and I notice that they start glowing unusually bright suddenly. I try to look away but my gaze interlocks with the Z.Z.'s monster. I feel like I'm being taken elsewhere.

"Now, let's see what _really_ happened all those years ago…" I hear Z.Z. It sounds as if he 's _inside_ of my mind, like I'm the only one who can hear him.

* * *

 **Ayame: WHAT? You go on a five month hiatus AND leave this as another cliffhanger?!**

 **C.C.: This chapter was better in my head... I guess that's what not writing for a while does to ya. It makes it a lot harder to portray the ideas I had in the first place.**

 **Yusei: What exactly are those ideas?**

 **C.C.: *Cackles* Wait and see. Ah, I can't wait to get more into details about Z.Z.'s dark synchro AND the past. C'mon you gotta give me credit for creating Z.Z.'s monster.**

 **Jack: Hmph. In that case, this should be interesting. We'll find out right after another hiatus right?**

 **C.C.: Wrong! I'll get the next one up soon! Just leave a review, alright?! Oh, and I hope those of you who ACTUALLY read these had a wonderful Christmas!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Boiling Point

**C.C.: *Stares at touch screened device***

 **Ayame: Um...hello? You have some explaining to do. You went on _another_ hiatus.**

 **C.C.: *Throws notepad at Yusei* All I really gotta say is... All of you... bear with me... I almost haven't written ANYTHING at all since last year basically. *Returns to screen***

 **Luna: What's wrong with her?**

 **Kara: She's reading everything she can.**

 **Destiny: I say she's on that new Wattpad App thing she found this time.**

 **Leo: Ooh! Ooh! I wanna see! Are we on there!?**

 **Ayame: *Grabs Leo's ear* What we're going to see is this new chapter being updated. Yusei?**

 **Yusei: Uh, right. Aren't we missing something?**

 **C.C.: *Snaps fingers***

 **Voice Recording: CoolCat2000 does not own anything except Ayame. Shimmering-Sky is the rightful owner of S.S. and Z.Z.**

 **Ayame: Oh, so you heard that?**

* * *

" _Grandpa, I think I found it!" I hear Yugi's voice cry out. It just sounds…different. Like when we were kids: it's not so deep and commanding. I finally open my eyes to a familiar scene. It's Grandpa, who's sitting on the couch, and a much younger version of me, sitting on the floor. We were in our living room, waiting for Yugi I guess._

 _My eyes go to the object I'm holding in my lap. It's a duel disk. It looks as if it was custom made for me since it's so small. I then realize that this is my seventh birthday: the day I received my very own duel disk and even my first deck. It's the deck I still use to this day, excluding a few cards given to me by mostly Yugi. This day was one of the best days of my life so far._

 _Then, carrying a box that has purple ribbon in his hands, Yugi walks in; just as I had expected, he was much younger as well. He stops in front of the younger me when she asks something as she places the small duel disk by her side. "Why was it hidden from the both of us?"_

" _Hohoho," Grandpa laughs, "We can't have you finding such a gift before it's even given to you."_

" _He's right," Yugi agrees, "He didn't exactly want me seeing it before you knew what it was either. So…here you go," His hands extend toward her so Ayame can take the small box, "Happy birthday, sis."_

 _My younger self reluctantly reaches out for the box with both of her hands. For some reason, just before her hands even touch the box, her eyes go to Yugi's one last time as if silently asking for some kind of approval. He slightly nods with a gentle smile. It's been so long since I've last seen it._

 _Finally, the small girl takes the box and sets it in her lap. Her hands carefully untie the ribbon before she opens it. Once she sees what's inside, no words can describe her reaction. The only one I can think of right now is bliss. "Well? What is it?" Yugi eagerly wonders._

" _I can't believe this…" She says._

" _Most importantly, do you like your gift?" Gramps implies._

" _Like?" She repeats as she takes out whatever's inside the box, "I love it, Grandpa. Thank you so much," She answers. "My very first deck…" Ayame says as she's going through the cards one by one. Even Yugi seems surprised._

" _Oh, wow," Yugi laughs, "You got yours way before I did. Lucky you, sis," He then holds out his hand, "May I look at them?"_

 _She nods while handing Yugi the cards without hesitation. He goes through them with just as much excitement as Ayame did. "This is why you didn't want me knowing about it, Grandpa," He comments, "I've never even heard of these cards before."_

" _They're one of a kind all right," Grandpa replies._

" _Looks like I've got some competition," Yugi says while handing the deck back to his sibling._

" _Can I please try it out? Puh-leaseee~?" Ayame begs while hugging the deck. Yugi nods with slight laughter._

" _I don't see why not. Just let me go get my cards and we'll-"_

" _Not. So. Fast," Granpa interjects while standing up, "You aren't dueling your brother anytime soon, young lady-"_

" _Aw," She begins to whine, "But, Grandpa, I already know how to duel and everything. I promise I'll listen to the heart of the cards. I just know-"_

" _-That is until after you've had your first duel with me," Gramps finishes. Ayame's whining stops immediately as she looks like she's trying to figure out what just happened. Yugi laughs even more as realization appears on her face with elation. Grandpa walks out of the living room to go get his deck and duel disk. The younger me stands up as she attempts to apply the duel disk on her arm alone._

 _Yugi sees that she's obviously struggling and decides to help her out. "Here, let me help you," he offers while properly strapping the thing on her arm. After a moment, Yugi finally gets it and hands her deck to her. While she inserts the deck inside its slot, Grandpa walks back in ready to start._

" _It's been a while since I've dueled," Grandpa says while activating his duel disk, "Now don't expect me to hold back just because this is your very first duel."_

" _Get your game on, Grandpa," Ayame challenges with nothing but confidence in her eyes and voice._

" _Good luck, Ayame!" Yugi shouts from the sideline in the spacious living room._

" _It seems you've already gotten yourself a fan," Grandpa comments. Ayame giggles while activating her duel disk._ _ **Ayame's LP: 4000; Grandpa's LP: 4000**_

" _It's only fair for you to have the first turn in your first duel," Grandpa offers. Ayame nods while drawing her card._

" _I'm summoning my tuner monster,_ Renamon _in attack mode first," She announces._ _ **Renamon ATK: 900, DEF: 400 lvl. 2**_

 _Grandpa, and even Yugi, seem slightly surprised. "Starting with a tuner is most peculiar," Grandpa says. When I'm able to, I always start out with_ Renamon _to this day._

" _You said that everyone has a different strategy," Ayame declares, "And I've never seen Yugi use this one before. I activate_ Renamon's _special ability. By reducing her attack points in half she can attack you directly, Grandpa."_

 _ **Renamon's ATK: 900 TO 450**_ Renamon _swiftly leaps in the air with her arms crossed over her chest. Right after she extends her arms out to the sides, white shards appear before her. They zoom toward Grandpa effortlessly. He brings up his duel disk defensively as if to block the light from his eyes as much as possible._ _ **Grandpa's LP: 3550**_ _"They're like a storm of diamonds," Ayame says in fascination._

Renamon _lands back down in her previous spot in front of the little me. Her icy blue eyes look back to her calmly as she nods._ _ **Renamon's ATK: 450 to 900**_ _The younger Ayame blinks in fascination as she's trying to comprehend the fact that_ Renamon _just communicated with her silently. Soon, she smiles and laughs._

" _I'll place this card faced down and end my turn, Grandpa," Ayame states._

" _Nice move, Ayame," Yugi compliments._

" _I expected nothing more or nothing less from you," Granpa adds while drawing his next card. Just as he's examining his hand the phone begins to ring. "I wonder who could be calling at such a late hour," Grandpa wonders while he's looking in the direction of the ringing._

" _I'll get it," Yugi says while walking off to answer the phone. Ayame continues to gaze at Yugi as he walks away. Her attention returns to the field when Gramps calls her out._

" _We'll let Yugi handle that. Meanwhile, you're undivided attention is always required in a duel. You remember that don't you?" Grandpa asks. Ayame nods with another confident smile on her newly focused expression._

" _Good, because you're going to need it once I summon_ Wandering Mummy _to the field in attack mode."_ _ **Wandering Mummy ATK: 1500, DEF: 1500 lvl. 4**_ _The mummy-like zombie monster appears while moaning in its traditional zombie way._

" _Grandpa, he's scary," Ayame comments._

" _That doesn't make a difference," Grandpa responds, "I just know your_ Renamon _will do everything in her power to protect you."_

" _But his attack points are way more higher than hers," She argues._

" _That may be, but that only means you have to do all you can to protect your monsters in the very same fashion as they would sacrifice themselves to keep you out of harm's way," Grandpa lectures, "Understand?"_

" _Uh," Ayame replies. She then perks up and glances over at her face down card, "Yeah! Bring it, Grandpa!"_

" _You asked for it._ Wandering Mummy _, attack Ayame's monster using your_ Wraps of Doom _!" Grandpa orders._

" _Hold on,_ Renamon _!" Ayame shouts while activating the face down card, "I activate_ Light Screen _! I can use this card once a turn to cancel out an attack so I can protect my monsters." Grandpa's mummy shoots bandages toward the tuner monster. A wondrous wall of golden light deflects the attack along with shockwaves of blue electricity._

" _Very good," Grandpa praises, "It looks like I'll have to place these two cards faced down and end my turn."_

" _My turn, Grandpa," Ayame declares while drawing the next card, "And I play- huh..?." Ayame suddenly stops talking. Her eyes are focused toward the door, which is behind Gramps. Mine do the same to see that Yugi was putting his shoes on near the door._

" _Yugi?" Ayame wonders as he puts on his belt that holds his deck holder. Yugi looks up at Ayame. To me, his eyes held some type of fear within them. It was soon gone when his eyes met Ayame's as he places a smile on his face._

" _I, uh, forgot something at Akiza's house," Yugi stutters._

 _I look over to the little girl. Her eyes quickly flash in alarm. "You always leave," Ayame mutters._

" _But I promise we'll duel as soon as I get back," Yugi adds. Ayame doesn't move at all after facing her head down. I don't exactly remember this part occurring on my birthday…_

" _Ayame?" Grandpa wonders._

" _Ayame is gone, Grandpa," Ayame retorts while looking up at Gramps with anger in her eyes, "I play_ Aeroblast _!" Ayame says while another card appears on the field. A violent twister emits from the card and attacks Grandpa directly. It slams him back-first against the wall, next to the front door, with a painful thud. It was strong enough to create a small crater in the wall._

" _Grandpa!" Yugi shouts just before Grandpa falls forward to the ground with a grunt. Yugi kneels down beside Grandpa in alarm, "Talk to me, Grandpa."_

 _Gramps doesn't answer; his body begins to uncontrollably shake. My eyes go back to the younger me; she's on her knees hugging herself now. Her eyes are slammed shut like she's trying to resist something. "Ayame?" Yugi asks while standing up. He takes a few steps toward her before she shouts._

" _No! Just go away!" Ayame yells with her eyes shut still. I'm not even sure if it's even directed at Yugi or something else. A gust of wind erupts within the living room soon after. Yugi shortly halts in his tracks when_ Renamon's _icy blue eyes turn completely crimson red. She dashes like a shot toward Yugi without hesitation._

 _Yugi brings his right arm up defensively just before the attack hits him. He yells in agony as_ Renamon's _claws pierce through his jacket on the upper part of his arm. Once_ Renamon _returns to where she previously was by back her way there, Yugi slightly brings his arm down to take a peek and make sure_ Renamon _isn't charging up another attack. I think I see a hint of red beginning to stain Yugi's arm now... Wait, isn't that the same arm, and area, Yugi had that bandage on? "Ayame, it's me," Yugi says._

" _I said go away!" Ayame immediately shouts. The wind appears to get stronger just before_ Renamon _attacks Yugi once more. She follows up her signature leap with her_ Diamond Storm _attack this time. Yugi holds his arms out before him defensively and endures her assault yet again. Yugi slowly starts walking over to the corrupted child against the continuous onslaught of diamond shards._

 _When he reaches half way to where Ayame is, he seems to lose his strength because of the ongoing attack. He lowers down to one knee and starts gradually sliding backward. "I'm never going to push you away. So, please don't try to do the same to me." Yugi says. My eyes trail down to his puzzle when it begins to glow, "Ayame!"_

 _With a newfound strength, Yugi rises back up to both of his feet. He gets closer to her one step at a time._ Renamon _stops her attack when Yugi is only a couple of steps away from Ayame. She vanishes into thin air while Yugi brings his arms down exhaustedly. Even his face had managed to get cut up since I saw the red scratch-like marks on it as proof; although, I do notice part of the Crimson Dragon's eye glowing on his forehead as well._

" _Stop it!" Ayame shouts. Here, I realize that a thin dark aura is surrounding her. Yugi silently lowers down on his knees while looking at his petrified sibling. He places a weakened hand on her shoulder. Moderately, he pulls Ayame into a gentle hug._

" _Everything's alright, sis," I hear Yugi reassure her. After he says this, a familiar purple electrical shockwave occurs by surrounding them. It doesn't seem to be affecting Ayame, but Yugi's unable to hide the pain by the looks of his expression._

" _I'm here, okay?" Yugi says, "I'll never leave you. I'm right here." The electricity subsides along with the gust of wind dying down; Ayame opens her crimson eyes in confusion. They return to their normal violet color._

" _Yugi…?" She whispers._

 _Yugi pulls away from Ayame tiredly and looks down at her with a smile. He weakly nods. "I'll always be here. Always. I… pro-" Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes go blank before closing. He collapses on his back and doesn't move again._

 _Ayame crawls over to his side and starts shaking him gently. "Yugi?" Ayame asks when he doesn't open his eyes. "Yugi!" Ayame repeats. The eye on his forehead disappears and reveals itself again on Yugi's right arm. His Signer mark… Now that I really look at it, it looks just like the Crimson Dragon's eye really. But, I don't remember literally_ seeing _him get it… My eyes go up his arm to see that red liquid is oozing out of a deep cut in his arm that_ Renamon _created._

 _I guess this horrifies the younger me, because she backs away from him as soon as she sees it. She looks over to Grandpa and quickly gets on her feet and runs over to him. "Grandpa! Please wake up!" She pleads as she gets on her knees. It looks as if she's about to place her hands on him until they stop in midair. Since she didn't receive an answer from him either, Ayame walks back over to Yugi with tears in her eyes._

" _I-I'm sorry…" Ayame mutters while falling down on her knees. She begins to cringe in pain when her right arm begins glowing as bright as Yugi's. "My arm…" Ayame mumbles. When the heart of the Crimson Dragon appears Ayame brings it up in confusion. "What happened? W-what's wrong with me?"_

 _Ayame looks at Yugi's glowing artifact and takes it in her hands. She hugs it close to herself and begins to sob. "I- I'm sorry, big brother… I'm sorry, Grandpa…"_

 _Everything goes dark._

 _No… There's no way that happened…. I would've remembered doing that… A sensation of pain pulses through my head. I place my hands on it in an attempt to make it go away._

"What are you doing to her?!" _I hear Yugi's voice in the unending darkness. It's soon followed by Z.Z.'s laughter._

" _Ragnor_ is an almighty god, my lord," _Z.Z.'s voice replies._ "Aren't you familiar with the term as its name already suggests, your majesty? Why else was Ayame having those re-occurring nightmares from before as a child? Ahahaha!"

"You disgust me," _I hear Yugi reply after about a moment or two of silence. My head begins to pulse even more. Nightmares? I… sort of remember having those when I was younger. But… there's no way I attacked Grandpa and Yugi like that… Grandpa may have been in the hospital for a while, but that was only because he was sick… Or at least, that's what Yugi always said. I don't remember being told that he got_ attacked by _me_.

 _Suddenly, I hear the sound of knocking on a door. I snap my eyes open to see that it's the living room. Grandpa is still lying in the same exact place he passed out. Yugi's still unconscious as well; his arm is caked with dried blood. It's like neither of them have moved at all. I, on the other hand, must've fallen asleep, because the younger me is lying next to Yugi while tightly hugging puzzle._

 _The knocking continues. "Yugi? Ayame? Gramps? You in there?" I know that voice from anywhere. I bet it's Akiza. Ayame's eyes flutter open when the door opens on its own. Just as I thought, a younger version of Akiza Izinski is revealed to be behind the door._

" _That's weird," Akiza comments. A gasp escapes her mouth while her hands cover it when she sees what I had apparently done, "Ayame? What happened?" She asks while running inside. Ayame stands up and runs into Akiza while crying. She tightly clutches the girl's peach dress._

" _I- I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry, Aki!" Ayame sobs, "G-Grandpa and Yugi won't wake up! I didn't mean to hurt them! I swear!"_

" _Everything's going to be okay," Akiza tells Ayame, "Where is Gramps?" Ayame sniffs while backing away. She points behind Akiza sadly. Akiza turns around and releases another gasp._

" _Gramps!" Akiza shouts while running over to him. She takes his wrist in her hands to check_ _his pulse. "He doesn't have a pulse…" My own eyes go wide. That means… But, I refuse to believe that. I really don't know how to feel about seeing this. Akiza runs off to where the phone is inside of our home._

" _I didn't mean to…" Ayame repeats. She continues to sob while her left hand is placed over her right arm, where the heart of the dragon was previously glowing. Just like always, the mark isn't there anymore._

 _ **XXX**_

"Odd," Z.Z. wonders, "Your life points should be at zero. What is the meaning of this?"

I regain my senses and find myself still gazing into _Ragnor's_ eyes. Without really thinking, my leg comes up and across his face. When my foot collides with his face, a burst of golden dust erupts. He quickly backs away with a cry of pain and takes his tail with him.

I begin to fall forward, but I catch myself by bringing my hand to the ground in front of me. Before my weight could land on it completely, I roll onto my back and end up landing to where I'm kneeling down on one knee. "Twyla," Yugi calls me. I don't answer, or move. I stare intently at the ground instead. I notice that my tingling body is shaking. I feel something wet run down the left side of my cheek. I see that it's a tear when it hits the ground.

There's no way that happened… I wouldn't do something like that… I _didn't_ do something like that… But… My hand clenches into a fist when I think of the Fortune Cup. My powers have been acting up lately, but there's no way they were that strong when I was _seven_. …Alright, even if that _did_ happen, there's no way I would've just sat there like the way I did. I would've ran to go get help or _something_.

I still don't know how to act or feel about what I just saw. I feel like I want to feel some type of grief or something, yet at the same time I feel like I'm trying to force that feeling upon myself. _'Ugh…Why can't I think straight right now?'_

"So much for that dignified entrance…" Z.Z. comments, "I'm still waiting on my explanation as to why you aren't in the Netherworld."

I close my eyes while standing up. "If you _must_ know, I sent Yugi's _Kuriboh_ back to the graveyard so I'd take zero points of damage from your monster." I open my eyes and glare at Z.Z.

"My, my," Z.Z. proclaims, "You look dissatisfied, my lord. Have you finally realized that your mind beholds false memories-"

"That didn't happen!" I intervene. A shock of pain pulses through my head which causes me to bring my hands up to it. My eyes slam shut when I lose feeling in my entire body.

"Oh?" Z.Z. wonders before laughing, "Perhaps you need more of a refresher, your highness…"

I grunt in pain in response to my now vibrating head. "Stop it!" I shout when I fall down to my knees. I don't want to see any more people getting hurt. I hear Z.Z.'s monster rumble in the back of my mind when my vision goes dark.

 _ **XXX**_

Knock. Knock.

" _Ayame," I hear in the unending darkness. It's Yugi's voice calling my name; it's so soft and gentle, "Sis?"_

 _I see Yugi standing in front of a closed door. He has a plate, with a sandwich on it, in his hand. "I want to see Grandpa as much as you do, sis," He says while looking down sadly, "but the doctors said he needs more rest. You understand that, don't you? I know you do. I miss him, too. I miss_ you _."_

 _No answer._

 _Yugi sighs in defeat before placing the plate in his hand on the ground in front of the door next to another plate that had pancakes on it this time; it looks untouched. He takes the breakfast plate in his hand and looks at the door again. "Just please eat something for me, okay?"_

 _Again, silence._

 _Yugi opens his mouth to say something, but the phone begins to ring in the house. Yugi closes his mouth and walks down the hall to go and answer it. I look back at the enclosed door to see if it will open. Just as I expected, it doesn't._

" _Akiza, hi," I hear Yugi's voice greet. My vision seems to pan over to where Yugi was standing while holding the phone up to his ear. It's the old fashioned one that's connected to the wall. His expression seems to sadden as he looks back to where my room was._

" _Not so good," He says, "She hasn't come out once, and now she won't eat anything. I'm really worried, Aki; the last time she ate something was almost three days ago. She even said no to pizza."_

Knock. Knock. Knock.

 _Yugi glances back to where the knocking came from in wonder. "Hey, I'll call you back. See ya," He says before hanging up the phone._

Knock. Knock. Knock.

" _I'm coming!" Yugi says to whoever's at the door while walking toward it. "I sure hope it's not another one of Goodwin's people." Yugi comments to himself. This catches my attention. What's he mean by 'another one'? Is Goodwin….familiar with our issues then? I bet it has to do with something back when he kept me in the city instead of sending me to the Facility with Yusei._

 _Again the scene changes to the living room this time. Yugi opens the door to be greeted by two people in dark hooded cloaks._

" _Uh, hi…" Yugi says, "Can I…help you?"_

 _Without answering, one of the hooded cloaks walks in first being closely followed by the second one. "Your sister," The first says with a masculine voice. He then turns around to Yugi, "Lead me to her."_

" _Do I know you?" Yugi asks. I guess as a silent answer, the first person takes off his hood to reveal someone with sinister-looking light amber eyes and blonde hair with purple bangs. The thing that caught my attention was the red line marked on the right side of his face. It sort of outlined his eye in a way since it was from his eyebrow running toward his nose, near the corner of his eye, and then staying close to his eye as it came back down to almost his chin._

" _Your grandfather and I are well acquainted." He answers before closing his eyes, "Although your mother and I. Well, that's another story for another time."_

" _You knew mom?" Yugi asks dumbfounded. The man opens his eyes before answering._

" _Of course I did," He says with a nod. His attention shifts elsewhere as his eyes are looking over in another direction. My eyes follow his to see my younger self hiding behind a corner. She quickly retreats behind the corner shyly. The guy slowly walks over to where Ayame was hiding._

" _Don't you know it's impolite to shy away from your elders?" He sternly asks._

" _She's only seven years old-" Yugi's cut off when the other hooded cloak brought out his arm silently._

 _The other man ignores him as he stops at the corner Ayame's at. "Come on out. There's no need for that." He says. Ayame comes from behind the corner and looks up at him. I can see her shaking form from wherever I am. The man kneels down to one knee which causes major alarm in Yugi and increased fear in the little girl._

 _The man brings out his hand and places it on her forehead without hesitation. Soon, the little girl relaxes and lightly closes her eyes right after his hand significantly glows. The most astonishing thing happens next… A certain familiar purple marker appears under Ayame's left eye. The mark of the dragon, on her arm, appears next, even Yugi's begins to weakly glow enough to be seen through the sleeve of his jacket. Yugi's hand subconsciously covers it._

" _Just as I had presumed," The man mutters. He then looks back to Yugi._

" _Tell me," He says, "Has there been any unusual occurrences or even behavior in the past recently?"_

" _Uh…" Yugi hesitates, "Well…."_

 _Everything suddenly goes white._

 _ **XXX**_

"You keep addressing the both of us in an honorable way," I hear Yugi comment. I blink out of my own reverie and look at the ground, "If we truly had such power, don't you believe we would know about it?" Yugi wonders.

"Ah," Z.Z. replies, "Perhaps you have false recollection on your own lineage, hm? I must say, preferably your sister of course."

I grit my teeth in annoyance. Have these two been talking the entire time while I was day dreaming? I guess S.S. is the first to notice since she calls me out as I stand on my feet again. "Welcome back!" She shouts. I feel my eyes narrow toward her as my silent response.

"My, my, quiet aren't we?" Z.Z. teases, "Your feelings haven't been hurt have they? The worst of your past has yet to be revealed."

"Shut it," I say in a suddenly tight voice. For some reason I feel a lump in my throat as I think of both of those visions I just saw. Who were those two in the cloaks? I glance over to Yugi and think, _'And why hasn't Yugi told me about them. Most importantly, why don't I remember_ any _of that?'_ My head pounds again just thinking about it literally.

" _Twi…?"_ Yugi's concerned voice echoes in my mind. I don't even cast a glance at him.

"Who were they?" I demand.

"Who are you referring to?" Z.Z. responds.

"Don't play dumb with me, Z.Z." I say, "Who were those two?" I repeat. Z.Z.'s confused expression remains until it brightens in realization.

"Ah! Ah! _Those_ two," He finally answers in laughter, "Don't you recall them personally terminating those feeble protectors of yours?"

"Protectors?" Yugi asks for both us. Just hearing that word makes my head pulsate even more. It sounds so familiar. Protectors…. Protectors…. Protectors of the stars….

"Don't tell us you don't remember all of those sacrifices made to only keep _you_ alive!" S.S. giggles. Now I start to hear ringing all around me. I grab my head again while shouting for it to stop. Quick images start flashing in my mind's eye. They were quick flashes, but long enough for me to recognize major details…

The first: Purple hair that flowed all the way down to the waist that seemed to be standing behind a dragon that had four shining wings decorated with blue crimson and blue orbs around it. The thing that caught my attention was the entire Crimson Dragon Seal on this person's back in addition to the glowing mark on their arm.

The second: A woman… _The_ woman with silver-streaked golden hair. From the angle my view is at, I could see her right golden eye and left blue one. Her arm is extended out before her as she seems to be surrounded by purple fire. She's standing next to someone short with brown eyes and blue hair… Just like the person with purple hair, he has a glowing mark on his arm and the entire dragon seal on his back. They both look exhausted.

The third: Two human-like figures are clashing against each other. The one with brown eyes and long scarlet-red hair has a katana that's clashing against a very familiar green-like rapier. The owner of the rapier is that same girl with the green dragon, except minus the dragon, that I saw from that one vision. Just like last time, all I could see is her grey eye. The one wielding the katana has the dragon seal on her back as well and a glowing mark on her arm. The other girl has a dragon mark and a purple one, similar to Z.Z.'s and S.S.'s but a different shape, on each arm…

The fourth one is of a slightly younger version of me standing next to someone older than myself with ocean-blue eyes and long jet black hair. We are both aiming a bow and arrow at…something out of my current view. Our eyes never leave our target. The little me has the dragon's heart glowing on my arm and the marker stained on my face glowing just as brightly, and the other girl has the dragon seal on her back with a glowing mark on her arm.

Everything goes dark once more when my chest begins to burn. "Ah…" I hear myself groan. The throbbing in my head won't stop.

"The past is painful, isn't it?" Z.Z. laughs, "It seems to be a common trait in your family! Hahahahaha!"

"Stop it!" I yell as those same people flash in my mind again. Who are they? Where are they? Why do they have a mark? I grunt when my head pounds again right after that thought. My eyes pop open and my vision goes into a crimson color. I feel myself panting for air. Hard. My head pulsates which causes me to close my eyes to withstand it again. It's like the pain increases with each pulse. The ringing noise in the back of my mind seems to get louder and louder.

Z.Z.'s light chuckle reaches my ears before he speaks. "Let's continue this game, shall we?" I look up at him to glare in his direction. If only looks could kill… He seems surprised as I stand up, "My, my," He comments before chuckling again, "Crimson daggers do suit your look, my lord." I narrow my stinging eyes even more.

"Twyla…" Yugi says with concern, "Speak to me."

I don't say anything. My eyes never leave Z.Z. either. "Now where was I?" Z.Z. implies, "Ah, yes. I place one card faced down and end my turn. Your majesty, why is it that death is the only thing that seems to follow you?"

"Quiet," I mutter enough for him to hear me, but he keeps talking.

"I will admit, it was my comrades doing most of the killing," He boasts proudly.

" _Stop_ ," I say even louder.

"Though, heheheh, if I remember correctly it was _you_ who was the first to shed blood in this war. The blood of your very own colleague." Z.Z. says. My hand tightly clenches into a shaking fist. I…didn't…kill…

"You murdering your own grandfather was the first of many, my lord."

"I said shut it!" I command. I didn't kill Grandpa…. I didn't…. My hands come up to my spinning head as I glare at the ground. Have I killed other people…? I might've come close to it in the Fortune Cup, but… No one should ever have to sacrifice themselves only to _protect_ me. No one…. because…because they'll only be destroyed in the end.

 _'Huh?'_ I ask myself, _'Why would I think that?'_

"Hahahaha! Soon, those powerless pawns of the Crimson Dragon will be your next victims in order to fulfill your true destiny of destruction-!"

"That's enough!" Yugi cuts him off commandingly, "You're insane to say such things about my very own _sister_!"

"Don't deny the truth, Yugi," Z.Z. laughs, "You abandoned her because of your own weakness and fear toward your _precious_ sibling. You know exactly what I'm referring to-"

"Be silent!" Yugi demands, "Now that your end phase has come, _Dark Magician Girl_ returns to my field directly from my hand." **Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000, DEF: 1700 lvl. 6**

"I activate _Latios's_ special ability!" I hear myself shout without even thinking about the words. A ghost-like shadow, with red glaring eyes, of _Latios_ appears before me as I continue, "See, since he was destroyed by battle I can special summon a level five or higher monster from my graveyard with its effects negated, but unless I remove _Latios_ and another one of my Light-Type monsters currently in my graveyard from play, her abilities can be used once she returns to the field." The shadow-like form doubles before shifting into a silhouette of my magician. "Return _Valkyria_!" I declare. If Yugi makes me regret this one bit….

 **Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria ATK: 1800 DEF: 1400 lvl. 6; Dark Magician Girl's ATK: 2000 to 2300; Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria's ATK: 1800 to 2100** All of our monsters are showered in golden specks because of S.S's _Crystal Fang_ still being in play. I see Yugi nod while looking at me from the corner of my eye; he knows that _Valkyria_ will be sent to the graveyard during his end phase because that's a part of _Latios's_ effect. He knows her last hidden ability as well. He looks back at Z.Z. at the same time I feel my head throb.

' _Destroy everything…'_ I hear my own voice whisper in the back of my mind. It's so tempting. Destruction is what got me through the Fortune Cup. Destruction is gonna get me through this duel here and now.

"It's my move!" Yugi proclaims as he draws the card from his deck, "And I'm calling forth _Frequency Magician_ to the field."

 **Frequency Magician ATK: 800, DEF: 400 lvl. 2** A masked man with red eyes and a white hat appears. He has on a purple cape that matches the color of his boots. This magician is wearing white pants along with a tunic that has a yellow symbol on it. Light purple flames materialize around both of his hands. The same happens with his tuner monster, specks appear all over his body.

" _Frequency Magician_ , I'm activating your special ability by removing your spell counter. This will give _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ 500 more attack points until the end phase of my turn," Yugi exclaims. _Frequency Magician_ sends a blue mystic fire toward the blue dragon; it envelops _Blue-Eyes_ completely before I can see him again. **Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK: 3000 to 3500**

"Oh, boo hoo," Z.Z. comments, "Your little dragon still won't be able to defeat the likes of _Ragnor_ , my lord."

"I wasn't planning on it," Yugi smirks. This catches Z.Z. and S.S. off guard, "Don't you know that _Frequency Magician_ is a tuner monster as well?"

"You wouldn't?!" S.S. shouts, "You don't have any Synchros!"

"I can and I will," Yugi answers while _Valkyria_ and _Frequency Magician_ rise into the air, "I tune my _Frequency Magician_ to _Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria_!"

 _Frequency Magician_ transforms into two rings before _Valkyria_ flies through them. She then becomes six stars. I feel my mark burn more than ever, " _The heart of the shadows will reawaken to obliterate all who stand in the way of its mission. Arise the almighty terror of the skies! I Synchro summon_ Silent Dragonoid Naga _!_ "

 **Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2300 to 2000; Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 2900; DEF: 2300 lvl. 8** A burst of light erupts which causes me to bring my arm up as a shield; soon I hear a familiar roar. I bring my arm down and see _Naga_ on the field. The white dragon looks as angry as ever. I guess as a final touch that's completely against Naga's favor, those annoying specks of glitter over wash his entire body just like how _Blue-Eyes_ and _Dark Magician Girl_ are right now.

"Oh me, oh my! The White Ones live on indeed! This duel just keeps getting better and better!" Z.Z. claps in amusement.

"You Dark Signers will pay for what you've done to my comrades," Naga snarls down at them from the air.

" _We_ haven't done anything!" S.S. beams, "But didn't one of them look _exactly_ like you?" Naga replies with a sinister roar of his own. _Ragnor_ does the same as a challenge toward the white dragon. I automatically look at Yugi in question. I know he has an idea on exactly what their talking about. I think of all the dragons I saw by the Crimson Dragon's side from earlier when I study the white dragon. I mainly recall recognizing every one of them except the one that looked identical to Naga. Does Naga have some connection to that other dragon?

" _It was his twin sister,"_ Yugi mentally tells me, _"Her along with_ Ancient Fairy Dragon _were sealed away by the Dark Signers. Naga and his twin are the only two of their kind left in existence."_

"My only reason for living now is to save her and _Ancient Fairy Dragon_ from the likes of _you_ ," Naga growls before a purple aura surrounds him.

"And I made you a promise so long as you help me," Yugi says before extending his hand out in front of him, " _Blue-Eyes_ , obliterate Z.Z.'s _Ragnor_! _White Lightning_!"

 _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ prepares his attack while his jaws are open. The orb of light forms in between his teeth before it's released as a stream of white energy toward _Ragnor_. I look over to see that he smirks before the attack hits. Then, I feel another shockwave from the shackles when the attack successfully hits Z.Z.'z monster. I open my eyes to see that _Ragnor_ is still on the field with a protective wing in front of Z.Z. He removes it to reveal a chuckling Z.Z. behind. **Z.Z.'s LP: 3150**

"He should've been destroyed," Yugi states.

"Hahaha!" Z.Z. stifles, "I thought I already warned you that _Ragnor_ can't be defeated that easily. It's impossible to destroy him by battle."

"Very well," Yugi responds while looking up at Naga, "Naga attack S.S.'s _Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn_!"

"With pleasure," Naga replies as a ball of purple energy materializes in his mouth.

" _Lunatic Burst_!" They both yell simultaneously when a stream of purple energy is shot toward the _Lightsworn_ monster. S.S.'s monster doesn't even have time to move because Naga's attack was so fast. It easily goes through Naga's target and hits S.S. with ease. It pushes her back into the purple fire as she screeches in pain. She falls down to the ground when the attack subsides. **S.S.'s LP: 3200**

"S.S.!?" Z.Z. shouts with concern, "Are you all right?"

"And there's more to come," Yugi says, " _Dark Magician Girl_ , attack _Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner_! _Dark Burning Attack_!" Yugi's magician rises into the air and points her staff at S.S.'s monster. A shockwave of light escapes the magical item before colliding with _Lumina_. Z.Z. and S.S. both shield their eyes as the _Lightsworn_ vanquishes from the field. **S.S.'s LP: 1200**

S.S. stands on her own two feet again while coughing. "That one hurt," She says with a smile, "You'll have to do better than that to take me and my big brother down."

"Is that so?" Yugi says as Naga and _Dark Magician Girl_ return to hovering above him.

" _Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn's_ ability activates since you destroyed it," S.S. explains with glee as she inserts cards back into her deck, "I can take all the _Lightsworns_ that've been sent to the graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck. Oh, and I gain 300 more life points for each card returned." **S.S.'s LP: 4300**

"I end my turn from there," Yugi calmly says, " _Blue-Eyes White Dragon's_ attack points return to normal as well." **Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK: 3500 to 3000**

"You poor, defenseless, weak child," Z.Z. remarks before laughing again, "You really think defeating us was going to be _that_ easy?"

"Of course not," I answer for both Yugi and I, "We're just getting started." Now that S.S.'s field is completely clear, the both of them are one more step closer to the end.

"If you say so," S.S. giggles while drawing her card, "First I'm activating my face down _Glorious Illusion_. See, this returns any _Lightsworn_ monster to the field from my graveyard. _Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn_ will be coming back in attack mode."

 **Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000 lvl. 7** _'Dammit…'_ I think. Whatever move we seem to make those two always find a comeback. S.S.'s monster begins to glow before I hear her annoying voice of cheerfulness. "By paying 1000 of my life points, I can activate _Michael's_ special effect-"

"That's where you're wrong," Yugi interrupts her; Naga begins to glow even brighter as well, "When a level five or higher monster activates its effect, or even when an effect is activated that targets any other level five or higher monsters on the field, it's negated and that monster is destroyed."

"What?!" S.S. shouts as her monster and trap card vanish.

"That's not all," Yugi adds, "Naga gains attack points equal to half of the destroyed monster's original attack until the end of this turn." **Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 2900 to 4200**

"Tch," S.S. says, "I summon _Jain, Lightsworn Paladin_ in defense mode then."

 **Jain, Lightsworn Paladin ATK: 1800, DEF: 1200 lvl. 4** Her paladin monster is a monster dressed as a knight in all white armor. He has his white sword in the right hand and his shield in the other. He has white hair and even a white cape with red on the inside of it.

"I end my turn with three cards faced down," She says while she discards the top two cards of her deck to the graveyard because of her card's effect. **Silent Dagonoid Naga ATK: 4200 to 2900**

" _Here it comes,"_ Yugi thinks to me right before we're both zapped. I stand my ground as I grunt through the pain. It's really not as bad as the last one actually. **Ayame's LP: 2650; Yugi's LP: 2650**

"This so called 'heart of the cards' really don't seem to be in your favor as of now, do they?" Z.Z. taunts.

"Silence, human!" Naga sneers, "You speak of what you have no knowledge of."

"And all of you continue to use an item you truly know nothing about," S.S. proclaims. I hate to admit it, but she's right. There's no doubt she's talking about Yugi's puzzle; he's had it his entire life or at least as long as I can _remember_. It's been close to impossible for us to really learn anything about it.

"My move!" I shout as I draw my next card.

" _Destroy…everything..."_ The sound of my own voice echoes in my mind again. And I will... My head suddenly throbs again right after that thought. Something inside of me is trying to fight it. Trying to fight my urge to destroy.

" _I think I have an idea,"_ I tell Yugi mentally subconsciously in an attempt to push everything into the back of my mind even more.

" _Well, it had better be a good one,"_ Yugi replies. I have to agree with him considering I don't even know what my own plan is.

I finally look at the card I drew; a smirk plays on my lips. "Yugi, they _will_ lose."

"Right," He agrees. As I'm looking at my card it happens. I'm not really sure what 'it' is, but I know it's something when I feel a spike of energy course through me. I blink to be greeted by the darkness yet again.

 ** _XXX_**

" _From the light of earth the dark descends," A voice chants. It's the same voice that scolded the younger me in the last vision. I close my eyes again to focus on the voice and the words even more. No doubt a spell's being casted, "should it return that all depends, when hands point up to moonlit skies, on behalf of your soul the darkness dies. Only during the time of the Eternal Night, shall your powers return whilst under the moonlight. Now, I command thee. Darkness to descend upon you and rewrite your memories."_

'Rewrite… memories…?' _I think. And…isn't that almost the exact same chant Z.Z. used to summon his Dark Synchro?_

" _You were actually able to change Ayame's memory?" I hear Yugi's younger voice ask. I open my eyes to see that he is in the living room with both of the two men from the previous vision. The one with amber eyes is looking down at Yugi while the other one in the hooded cloak remains by the door. Yugi's question is answered with a silent nod._

" _Of course I was," The man answers while closing his eyes thoughtfully, "The darkest of magic is able to accomplish almost anything. I say this from my very own personal experience."_

 _The man opens his eyes again and looks directly at Yugi, "I will warn you once more," He says, which causes Yugi to tense up from my view, "The actions one takes are answered by consequences waiting at their conclusion. There are no exceptions. And even...power cannot change this...There is no escaping the inevitable, Yugi Muto."_

" _If my decision is wrong, then why did you agree to do it in the first place?" Yugi challenges. The man smiles for some reason before answering._

" _It was your decision to agree to rewrite Ayame's memories and temporarily seal away her powers just as much as it was mine considering your sibling relation."_

" _I want her to be safe," Yugi asserts._

" _Yes. How long her safety will last is the true question, isn't it?" The man wonders which slightly surprises Yugi, "The longer her power remains dormant within her, the more difficulty she'll have controlling them in the near future, and I'm sure you know how harsh it can be when something you've grown accustom to relying on has failed in the most dire of life-threatening situations, Yugi."_

 _Yugi looks down and I see his clenched fist shaking as his knuckles turn white. The man's stern expression doesn't change at all. He turns around toward the door before speaking again._

" _Although, we both know that Ayame is nowhere close to being ready to surpass the potential her powers behold, so I'll tell you now. At the twilight hour of the Eternal Night shall all of her powers return."_

" _Twilight hour?" Yugi wonders._

 _The man nods while looking back at Yugi, "The twilight hour is the dusk just before the dawn." He starts walking to the door until Yugi stops him in his tracks._

" _What's the Eternal Night? And you can't leave yet. I don't even know who either of you are still," Yugi presses._

" _All answers will be revealed in due time," The man says before walking out of the door, into the night, with his accomplice without another word._

….

 _ **XXX**_

In. Out. In. Out.

My breathing is steady as I replay what I just saw. The pieces slowly come together…. If I really did attack Yugi and even Grandpa like that the only reason I don't remember is because my memories were erased. No… they were _changed_ …. And Yugi knew all along. All. Along. Not even that, he _agreed_ to give me fake memories. I clench my fist in frustration when I realize that Yugi willingly chose to rewrite my memories before leaving me.

Are the memories I have now even real? What other part of my life was rewritten? Those people I saw…were they erased from my mind as well? No matter how hard I try, I can't _remember_ any of that happening. I open my stinging eyes once more and see that I'm surrounded by a small purple aura through the crimson vision I have.

"The time has finally come!" I hear Z.Z. victoriously shout, "The darkness awaits your return, your majesty."

"You'll never take her away from me!" Yugi counters; I glare at him in response to hearing his voice. He looks back at my eyes.

"You decided to erase my memories?" I ask with nothing but irritation in my tone of voice. I see shock appear in his expression.

"They were rewritten," He says, "I couldn't stand the suffering you were putting yourself through any longer."

I see that he steps back subconsciously as I narrow my eyes at him. Then I realize something else… "Is that why you left?" I ask, "Because you were afraid of me?"

"I feared for your safety," Yugi corrects me. The fact that he doesn't deny my question at all crushes me…and angers me even more.

"So instead of trying to stay and protect me, you leave me without my powers?" I reply.

"It prolonged your safety from him. Your failure to recollect what had truly happened ensured it," Yugi states, "I regretted my mistake even more when I found out you were nowhere to be found in the city."

Him? Who is he talking about? My chest begins to burn at the sound of Z.Z.'s voice.

"That's right, my lord," Z.Z. encourages, "Let your anger consume you. Feel the darkness within you beginning to spread. The stronger your rage, the more powerful the ultimate god will be when it absorbs your soul as well, Ayame."

I feel another pulse of energy; I can hardly think straight up until this point. I don't even feel the shackles that are around my ankles anymore. Am I a part of them in some way now? Or have I just lost all feeling in my ankles? …The only feeling I have now is the urge to wipe everything out of existence. _Especially_ Yugi. He knew I'd have trouble with my powers. He set me up for failure.

"Fight it, Twi! I just know you can!" Yugi advocates me.

"She's still loyal to you? How touching. Even though you've turned your back on her, she refuses to seek revenge? That will soon change," Z.Z. cuts in yet again. I feel another surge of energy course through my body at the sound of his words. It's stronger than the last. Because… Z.Z.'s right… Yugi- _'Control it, Twily…'_ I tell myself. I have to win this duel.

"We'll see…" I hear Yugi respond, "I won't let you use her for your own selfish scheme."

"We shall," Z.Z. tells him, "Ayame, the more you resist the more painful it'll be."

I don't answer him as I narrow my eyes at him to help me focus. He's right. The blood in my veins feels like it's stinging of some sort with each pulse. I'm already weak from these shackles and that crystal from earlier. Or I was… I feel slightly stronger now. Instead of my energy being drained, it's being returned without a doubt. I look at the card I drew again before swiping it into the spell and trap card zone slot.

"I activate _Eon's Call_! See, anyone who has an " _Eon_ " in either their hand or deck can special summon it directly to the field," I explain as my deck begins to glow. I see that the last card in Yugi's hand glows as well, "I'm special summoning the tuner monster _Umbreon_ to the field."

"I'll be adding _Latias_ to the field as well," Yugi confirms.

 **Umbreon ATK: 500 DEF: 200 lvl. 2** _Umbreon_ has a sleek black body with four legs and crimson eyes; there are two pairs of pointed teeth visible as it's snarling at its opponents on the field, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. _Umbreon_ has long pointed ears and a bushy tail, each with a yellow band around them; its forehead and legs have yellow rings on them.

 **Latias ATK: 1300, DEF: 1200 lvl. 3** My eon is the identical female counterpart to Yugi's _Latios_. Instead of being blue, she's red on the lower half of her body. She has a blue triangular marking on her chest instead of it being red. I really thought Yugi and I would be able to get _Latios_ and _Latias_ out on the field together like last time. Except the two would be battling together instead of against each other.

"Again with the Synchro summons?" S.S. wonders with joy. Before I can answer, I feel another pulse, a giving one; I hear the rumbling of a dragon in my mind as it's telling me she wants to fight. Just not yet…

" _Umbreon's_ special ability automatically activates," I announce, "See, since he was successfully summoned, I can add a card from my graveyard to my hand."

I add the card without even looking at it. Yugi may want to use my monsters to Synchro summon, but I refuse to use his monsters to do the same. I don't need him. My hand extends out before me, "I tune my level two _Umbreon_ to the level three _Latias_ resting on Yugi's field."

The rings on _Umbreon_ glow as he leaps into the air and transforms into two rings. _Latias_ flies through them without question before turning into three stars. A blizzard erupts as I chant for my monster to be summoned, _"The weakness of one is the strength of many. This heart of ice freezes its foe in fear before he strikes. Lend me your chilling strength! I'm Synchro summoning the beast of icy winds,_ MetalGarurumon _!"_

 **MetalGarurumon ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 lvl. 5** My blue android-like dog appears once the freezing blizzard subsides; his entire body seems to be metallized. His yellow blade-like tail is just as intimidating as his large crimson claws on his feet. I feel another gust of icy wind when he roars at our opponents in anger after being drenched in golden glitter.

"Hohoho. Isn't his kind your greatest weakness as a magical being?" Z.Z. questions. He's not wrong, but that doesn't mean I can't work well with my own weakness as effectively as _MetalGarurumon_ and I can.

"Allow me teach these impudent fools a lesson, mistress," _MetalGarurumon_ growls.

"Of course," I say, "Let's start off with S.S. shall we? We can't exactly have any more _Lightsworns_ swarming the field," I imply while partially quoting Z.Z. on his earlier comment about me and my dragons.

" _Howling Blaster_!" My monster and I shout. _MetalGarurumon_ releases a chilling twister of ice toward S.S. directly. The attack hits S.S. and envelops her completely. Once the attack is over, S.S. appears in an entire block of ice. **S.S.'s LP: 2100**

"I suggest you order your _pet_ to thaw out my sister," Z.Z. tells me with nothing but venom in his voice. So that's this lunatic's weakness. _Her_.

' _Perfect,'_ I think.

"What was that, _human_?" _MetalGarurumon_ sneers.

"Since _MetalGarurumon_ inflicted battle damage, he gains 300 more attack points," I explain just before the ice breaks. S.S. is shivering as her teeth slightly chatter. **MetalGarurumon ATK: 2200 to 2500**

I look at the other cards in my hand. I picture a flow chart in my mind's eye that ends with the dragon that will win this duel. After I pull off the combo I have in mind, this duel will be over in no time. "I place this card faced down and end my turn."

"I suppose it's my turn then," Z.Z. says while drawing his card with slight boredom all of a sudden. Is this his way of making some fool out of the both of us? He's going to regret that… He looks at the card he drew and his eyes are the first things to light up which highly alarms me. "Why don't you look at that? I'm summoning _Shaddoll Hound_ to the field in attack mode."

 **Shaddoll Hound ATK: 1600, DEF: 900 lvl. 4** Z.Z.'s puppet-like hound is purple and gold. The gold on it seems to be the armor it's wearing I guess. He snarls at our monsters; none of our monsters seem to be phased one bit by its threats.

"I activate another marvelous spell of mine known as _Shaddoll Hunter_ ," Z.Z. says while placing the card on his duel disk, "You see this card adds the attack points of one of my monsters to any of my _Shaddolls_ currently on the field so long as I negate the effect of the first monster that's chosen."

 _Ragnor_ glows the same time as the hound does. _Shaddoll Hound_ even seems to increase in size as a whole, or it's just me. **Shaddoll Hound ATK: 1600 to 4400**

"Now which part of royalty should I destroy first?" Z.Z. wonders. The next thing he says confuses the heck out of me, "Decisions, decisions… The prince seems like an easy target as of now. Attacking you will wipe out the rest of your life points. Then again, the princess could most likely special summon another one of her defenses and delay the inevitable…"

"Neither of you will lay a hand on either of them," Naga remarks.

" _Naga knows what they're talking about,"_ Yugi says.

" _Of course he does,"_ I silently respond. Royalty always has its secrecy.

Finally, Z.Z.'s eyes land on Yugi. "You, Yugi Muto shall be the first to visit the Netherworld." Another surge of energy courses through my body. It's so strange this time. A feeling of protectiveness overwhelms my body for some reason. He needs to change his mind about that. He needs to attack _me_ instead and now…. _'That's it!'_

"I thought so," I comment. All eyes go on me, "I was wondering whether you had the guts to challenge my beast. I guess I've got my answer now."

"Hm? I don't remember such a question," Z.Z. inquires.

"No need to worry. At least I know that you're all talk and no action. Taking the easy way out is pathetic. Don't you have any muscle to flex, so you can take out my monster instead?" I hear Yugi gasp from beside me. My fluke must be working then if he's surprised. I'll get rid of him another time.

"Why, you…" Z.Z. starts, "Change of plans! _Shaddoll Hound_ destroy her _MetalGarurumon_ instead this instant! Toodles!" He shouts as his monster leaps toward mine. I activate my trap card just before _Shaddoll Hound_ is seconds away from coming into contact with my icy beast.

"I activate the trap card _Helix Infinity Hummer_! This negates your monster's attack and lets me special summon a monster from either my hand or graveyard with attack equal to or less than the damage I would've taken. I'm special summoning _Umbreon_ back to the field in attack mode!" **Umbreon ATK: 500 DEF: 200 lvl. 2**

 _Umbreon_ appears atop of _MetalGarurumon's_ back. Everything's going according to plan; I just need Z.Z. to attack me one more time so I can destroy him and his monsters. "And because _Umbreon_ was successfully summoned again, I'm allowed to add another card from my graveyard back to my hand once more."

"You…." Z.Z. begins, "You _tricked_ me? How dare you? No one, especially the likes of you, leads me on into doing such a thing for your very own benefit. _Ragnor_ , teach her majesty a lesson! _Night Daze_!"

 _Ragnor_ begins to attack as I start feeling lightheaded; he releases a shockwave of dark energy toward my direction. My crimson vision slightly goes dark until I hear a roar in the back of my mind that doesn't belong to _Ragnor_. "Right!" I respond to the dragon that's begging to be a part of this battle.

"I activate _Urgent Tuning_ to tune my level two _Umbreon_ with my level five _MetalGarurumon_!" I announce. Two rings and five stars, " _Spirit that rules the forest of antiquity, disguising yourself in this temporary form, reign over the field supreme and uncontested! Veil yourself in flesh and descend to us! Come forth! I'm Synchro Summoning_ Ancient Pixie Dragon _!_ "

 **Ancient Pixie Dragon ATK: 2100; DEF: 3000 lvl. 7** In a flash of dark light, she appears. The same purple aura that's emanating from me surrounds her as well. She hovers above the other monsters that are on the field while golden specks appear all over her body. _Ragnor's_ attack finally hits the dragon which causes an explosion. **Ayame's LP: 1700** The smoke clears to reveal Naga in front of _Ancient Pixie Dragon_.

"I thought Duel Dragons didn't exist anymore!" S.S. yells.

"That's because they don't," Z.Z. responds, "They were disposed of when the Star Guardians were defeated." Now that rings a couple of bells, but I'm not exactly sure which ones. I continue to listen to Z.Z.'s voice.

"I must ask, yet again, what is the meaning of this?" He says, "That should've destroyed your monster in a matter of seconds."

"I activated Naga's special effect," Yugi interjects, "By removing my _White Stone of Legend_ from play, the destruction of my sister's dragon was negated."

I don't say anything as I focus on getting rid of the buzzing in my head. _'Star…Guardians…?'_ Why is that term so familiar all of a sudden? My eyes travel up to _Ancient Pixie Dragon_. _'Now that I think about it…who gave her to me in the first place? I know it wasn't Luna,'_ I head responds by vibrating before I hear words coming out of my mouth.

"I activate my dragon's effect," I say, "Since S.S.'s field spell is in play, any monster I choose is automatically destroyed as long as it's in attack mode once per turn. You're monster can be the first to go, Z.Z."

 _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ roars as _Ragnor_ vanishes from the field. I look at Z.Z. to see hatred in his eyes. "No one destroys my monster _that_ easily. I activate _Monster Reborn_! Come forth _Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis_!" **Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis ATK: 2800 DEF: 1600 lvl. -7**

"So what?" I say, "I can just get rid of it the next turn."

"We'll see about that," Z.Z. replies, "I'll place this card here faced down along with my first."

"What's so funny?" I demand.

"Oh dear sister, you know who's mind we haven't picked through yet?" Z.Z. wonders, completely ignoring my question.

"Surprise me like you always do, Big Brother!" S.S. replies. _Ragnor's_ eyes glow yet again. I wait for whatever else I'm about to see, but it never comes. My eyes shift over to Yugi to see that his eyes are glazed over. He looks…horrified. All of these emotions overwhelm me out of nowhere: Anger, sadness, even grief, and maybe regret? They're all coming from Yugi. He lowers down to one knee and blinks out of whatever he saw. He lowers his head down to where his bangs cover his eyes and desperately pants in gulps of air. He clenches his fist until his knuckles turn white.

"I see," Z.Z. says thoughtfully, "So that's your _partial_ side of the story. Most intriguing…"

Yugi looks up with nothing but anger shining in his eyes. "Yugi, focus," Naga suggests as Yugi struggles to stand back up. I have no clue what he just relived through, but whatever it was made him mad. I feel myself smirk over to him deviously.

"Destroy them, Yugi." I tell him.

"Yes," Yugi replies as he draws his card, "You'll regret not attacking me, Z.Z."

"Attacking me in general was a big mistake cause now Yugi has something even worse in store for you. Consider this attack as payback for all that you've done, Z.Z." I explain.

"Is that so?" Z.Z. chuckles, "How is it that he's supposed to attack when he can't even defend himself? How do you expect yourself to defend others around you especially, Yugi?"

I look over to Yugi in question. His eyes are slammed shut and he doesn't move. Right now, I feel doubt and hesitation from him.

"Yugi," Naga repeats, "Focus on the task at hand."

"Yugi," I say, "What the hell are you waiting for? I sacrificed my life points and magician so you can summon Naga out on to the field in the first place. Will you attack already?"

Yugi ignores me.

"Yugi," Naga growls under his breath. Yugi's eyes open once more and they travel over to the face down cards our opponents have. His violet orbs suddenly look so calm…

He slides the card he drew into his disk. "I'll place one card faced down and end my turn." He then looks at me, "Twi, you know we have to duel intelligently. Anger will only cloud your mind."

"The more opportunities we throw away, the longer this duel is going to last, Yugi," I sigh, "We need to get rid of them and now."

"You must try to put your frustration aside and trust in the heart of the cards. Unless you do, you may be playing right into the hands of our opponent," Yugi calmly counters. He looked so mad just a second ago…

"Yugi, I know how to duel when I follow my instincts. Right now they're telling me that they need to be crushed and now. And my instincts are never wrong."

"You're losing focus, Twyla. You know that in order to win, you must believe in your deck-" He suddenly gasps before his eyes glaze over again. Even his puzzle begins glowing this time.

"Now what?" I say turning to Z.Z. After another moment, Z.Z. finally says something while sniggering.

"I never took you for someone who's witnessed so many deaths and so much bloodshed in such a short lifetime, my lord. Oh, I just need to know! Which one was the most tragic? Your father perhaps? Or maybe your mother considering you were there… I'd say that has to tie in somewhere with your grandfather's death."

That catches my undivided attention. Z.Z.'s smirk seems to become more menacing. "Or maybe even watching the eldest of you Muto's die in your very own arms, am I right, your majesty?"

I thought…Yugi was the oldest… Z.Z. continues talking, "You needn't worry. She's in…good hands, mind you."

"Where is she?" Yugi demands in a tone I've _never_ heard him use before, "If you harm her-"

"She's nothing more but an experiment," Z.Z. intervenes, "S.S. I've got what I wanted from the both of them. Why don't we go ahead and send them to the Netherworld and get the Millenium Puzzle, hm?"

"Tell me what I want to know, Z.Z." Yugi orders, "Where are you keeping her?"

"You really think we'd know that?" S.S. answers while drawing her next card, "Even if we did, we still wouldn't tell you."

"We didn't touch a soft spot now, did we, Yugi?" Z.Z. chuckles, "You should be the least bit satisfied. You _are_ reunited with your younger sister, aren't you?"

"And I'll make sure of it that she never goes anywhere near the likes of you. Even if I must die trying," Yugi confesses without hesitation. His voice sounds a little darker in my opinion. I study his expression to see that even his features are ominous all of a sudden, "Make your move."

"Well," S.S. replies, "If you're _that_ anxious. I'll activate my trap card first. _Lightsworn Restraint_ negates any monster's effect that I choose that would target one of my _Lightsworns_. I sort of need my next monster to be immune to Naga's effect as of now, tee hee," Golden-like rings appear around on Naga's body.

"Now,I think I'll tribute my paladin so I can summon _Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon_!" **Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon ATK: 2000, DEF: 1600 lvl. 6** Her…dragon….appears in the place of her previous monster. I'll give this thing points for the massive size of its feathery wings, maybe even the red claws it has. It sort of reminds me of a unicorn when I notice the blue horn it has along with its yellow main and tail. I escape my thoughts when a light shoots out of its horn.

"Right! _Gragonith's_ effect was activated. It gains 300 more attack and defense points for each _Lightsworn_ monster with a different name in my graveyard," S.S. explains.

"As far as I know, you have three resting in your graveyard excluding the cards you've had to automatically send there during your end phase," Yugi notes.

"Uh-huh! Just add three more _Lightsworns_ to that count," S.S. adds. **Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon ATK: 2000 to 3800; DEF: 1600 to 3400**

"You really believe that's gonna do anything?" I ask, "I activate _Ancient Pixie Dragon's_ special ability-!"

"Twyla, no!" Yugi warns me.

"-destroy _Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon_!" _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ roars when she begins to glow brighter. She wants to get rid of these two just as much as I do.

"When will you ever learn?" Z.Z. wonders while he activates one of his face downs, "Go, continuous trap _Black Maiden_! This trap card is automatically triggered when a card effect that would destroy another card is activated. In brief, my sweet sister's dragon is saved for the rest of this turn so long as S.S. agrees to take away 1000 attack points from her monster."

"Is that a rhetorical question?" S.S. giggles. **Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon ATK: 3800 to 2800** "That's not all! I activate one of my own traps! _Skill Successor_ activate! This adds 400 more attack points to my _Lightsworn_ until the end of this turn!" **Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon ATK: 2800 to 3200**

" _Gragonith_ , do my Big Brother and I a huge favor and send that Duel Dragon to the graveyard!" S.S. orders. " _Lightning Tornado_!"

I almost had her. Her _Lightsworn_ flaps its wings and sends a yellow twister toward _Ancient Pixie Dragon_. It's large enough to cover both Yugi and I's field. Every single one of our monsters are absorbed into the light. I squint my eyes because to me it's not as bright as it should be. One of the quirks of seeing everything in red I guess. Finally, the attack subsides to reveal that nothing had really changed, which really surprises me. Naga must've gotten in front of _Ancient Pixie_ in the mix since he's glowing in front of her right now.

"Surprise, surprise," Naga chuckles.

"Oh, this doesn't shock us one bit," Z.Z. answers.

"Ooh! Why didn't you take any damage?!" S.S. wonders which makes me smirk.

"As you already know, I simply have to remove a monster in my graveyard from play in order to keep Naga on the field. As for any damage calculation now involving him," Yugi slightly smiles as well, "it becomes zero."

"Let me explain," I say after seeing their shocked expressions, "Whenever _Valkyria_ is used as Synchro material to summon a Dragon-type monster, all attack damage involving that monster is zero."

"Why you…" Z.Z. mutters.

"I activate _Light Spiral_ ," S.S. announces, "Every time I send a card from my deck directly to the graveyard by the effect of a _Lightsworn_ ,this continuous trap card removes the top card of each of your decks from play for the rest of this duel. I end my turn. Oh, and I hope you don't forget about my monster's special effect when a _Lightsworn_ with a different name ends up in my graveyard," she says as she sends the top three cards of her deck to the graveyard. I don't move a muscle when we're electrocuted. The pain doesn't even phase me anymore now. **Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon ATK: 3200 to 3100; DEF: 3400 to 3700; Ayame's LP: 1550; Yugi's LP: 2500**

"Fine," Yugi says while discarding his card, "We have plenty of other cards because this is just the beginning. Just like our _Eons_ and magicians, we make a powerful team."

"I think what my partner is trying to say is, if it wasn't for my incredible wit who knows where we'd be right now." I note while drawing my next card.

"Not quite," Yugi answers.

"You're still stuck on this team work thing? It's getting a little old." I sigh, "Get it through your head, Yugi. If it's convenient for me, then I might help you. But don't mistake that as 'team work' or you will be disappointed in me. It's all right, though."

"This isn't only about you! We're all in danger." Yugi replies.

"I duel for me and my cards now, Yugi. You should be proud, since I learned _something_ from you."

"But, Twilight, you need my help and I need yours. Z.Z. and S.S. still have the upper hand. What's gotten into you? This isn't like you."

"Your big brother is so smart," S.S. cuts in.

"I activate-" Z.Z. cuts me off.

"Sorry, but I activate the effect of _Black Maiden_ once again."

"You know what, Z.Z.?" I say before placing a card on my duel disk, "I've about had it with you and your ridiculous mind games."

"I beg your pardon?" He asks.

"I activate the quick-play spell card, _Dragon Contender_! This destroys all cards in your spell and trap card zone," I exclaim.

"What?!" Z.Z. shouts.

"Now, _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ , I activate your special ability once more. Get rid of _Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon_ and send it to the graveyard! _Spirit Burial_!"

 _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ roars while flying up to her target. She brings her wings around it before a white light absorbs the both of them. A gust of wind occurs before _Ancient Pixie_ returns to hovering above me. "My _Lightsworn!_ " S.S. shouts.

"Now I activate the equip spell card, _Swords Dance_!" I shout, "This gives my dragon 900 more attack points." A bunch of sharp-looking swords surround _Ancient Pixie Dragon_. They spin around her before vanishing completely. **Ancient Pixie Dragon ATK: 2100 to 3000**

Now, all I need to do is attack her directly and-

"Don't worry, S.S." Z.Z. assures, "I'll protect you by banishing my _Shaddoll Marionette_ from my graveyard. This gives S.S. complete control of _Ragnor_ until my next drawing phase." Purple-like strings wrap around _Ragnor's_ limbs, tail, and even neck. He shortly vanishes before reappearing in front of S.S. protectively.

"There's more," S.S. adds, "By banishing _Skill Successor_ from my graveyard _Ragnor_ gains 800 more attack points until the end of this turn. Since you're not thinking clearly and you decide to attack anyway, _Ragnor_ can easily destroy your dragon." **Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis ATK: 2800 to 3600**

"She's wrong, Twyla. You can destroy her monster," Yugi comments. Now that caught me off guard.

"Don't be a fool," Z.Z. hysterically laughs, " _Ragnor_ can't be destroyed by battle."

I ignore Z.Z. and look over to Yugi. He seems to do the same by meeting my eyes before talking, "Look, if you want to win you're going to have to trust me on this. Like it or not, we're a team, and if you attack them with your dragon I promise I'll back you up. Trust. Me."

I look back at S.S.'s monster. _'Trust him?!'_ I can't do that. Especially because of what happened after the last time I 'trusted him'. He really expects me to gamble on his word that easily? Then, my mind goes completely blank…

' _Destroy Yugi,'_ my mind tells me. I blink that specific thought away. I need to destroy these two drones instead...

"Attack her, Twyla." Yugi orders, "Do it!"

" _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ , attack _Ragnor_!" I automatically shout after Yugi's sudden command, " _Fairy Tail Whip_!" She roars as her tail starts emitting a rainbow-like color. It seems to grow in size before she extends it out toward _Ragnor_.

' _This had better work,'_ I think just before the attack hits the nightmare devil in the form dragon. A mild explosion is created on impact. When the smoke clears, it's gone. _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ triumphantly roars. Every single one of is shocked except Yugi. **S.S.'s LP: 850**

"Please, allow me to explain," Yugi offers, "I sent the trap card _Active Ghost_ to the graveyard during your first turn, S.S.. I activated part of its effect by banishing it from my graveyard. It reduces the attack points of any monster I choose equal to half of the original attack points of the strongest monster currently on the field when activated, and that so happens to be Naga. I chose _Ragnor_ and made it weaker than _Ancient Pixie Dragon_. As for his destruction the targeted monster is automatically destroyed after the battle has been successfully conducted, and when we attack you again you'll be finished, S.S."

Huh. So, he had this planned after all. Not surprising, really. "Twi," He says looking at me, "You need my help more than you will ever think."

"Hmph," I hear myself say while swiping the second to last card in my hand onto my duel disk. This'll finish her off in no time flat. When I open my mouth, a strange feeling washes over me… It's some kind of warmth, an unusually comforting one, "I activate one more spell card, _Dragon's Release_! Now that you don't have any monsters to protect you and by sacrificing any Dragon-type monster, _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ in this case, you automatically lose life points equal to the amount of defense points she has."

"Oh, come on!" S.S. yells in disbelief.

"No, this can't be! I don't believe this!" Z.Z. adds.

"You better believe it. It's been nice meeting someone as dangerously cheery and happy-go-lucky as you are, but everyone's luck comes to an end. Yours just so happens to be now," I smirk as _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ flies toward S.S. in anger. She suddenly becomes an orb of dark light when I hear Yugi shout.

"Naga!" He says, "I remove _Kuriboh_ from play to negate _Ancient Pixie Dragon's_ destruction!"

A line of light escapes Naga and hits my dragon just before she flies through S.S. As she falls backwards, instead of her voice, her life points chime to zero this time. **S.S's LP: 0**

"S.S.!" Z.Z. calls in worry. He runs over to her and kneels down beside her, "I've already lost you once, I can't lose you again!"

"One down, one more to go," I bluntly imply as _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ hovers in front of me, "I end my turn with one card faced down."

"Twilight," Yugi says as his voice raises a few octaves. Our eyes remain on the two Dark Signer drones.

"S.S." Z.Z. repeats while he wraps an arm behind her back so she's able to slightly sit up. S.S.'s eyes slowly, and weakly, flutter open.

"Big Brother…" She mutters with a weak smile, "I'm…sorry I-"

"Don't be," He tells her, "This was your best fight yet."

' _And it's most likely her last,'_ I think. From where I'm standing, S.S.'s body starts glowing. Then her feet are the first to turn to dust as it gradually travels up her body. As this happens, S.S.'s field spell is moderately reverting back to where we are in the hospital as well.

"Big… Brother…" S.S. repeats, "Can we…?"

"Fret not, dear sister," Z.Z. says, "And we will. I'll create another world. One that we'll be together and you'll be safe in. I promise you that."

"Big…Brother…" S.S. whispers before her entire body turns to dust. She's gone, and so is her field spell. I suddenly feel…something coming from Yugi. It's a strong feeling at that. I can only feel his emotions this easily when it's familiar to the both of us… What is it? Sympathy for those two…? Or is it envy…? Maybe even both since those two are the only ones that are coming to mind. But why for _those_ two of all people?

"Yes… I promise indeed," Z.Z. says while standing back up. His voice suddenly sounds…darker… His head is still faced toward the ground, "I _will_ destroy the world… to create it anew…"

"I see," Yugi admits. I look at him to see that his eyes never leave Z.Z., "I was once told of a tale about a boy and the one he deeply cared about. He wanted to create another world in which the one he truly loved could live in a world of safety."

Yugi closes his eyes while slightly facing the ground, "A safe haven that was as far away as possible from the periling menace the two called their father. The imperative detail that caught my attention was the fact that the boy was the elder brother of the, crippled, unnamed girl and the fact that he carried a wish as idealistic as my previous desires."

Where is he getting at? He sounds so genuinely empathetic... Yugi's eyes meet Z.Z.'s sincerely, "The boy was known as Reizo Akaba-"

I see Z.Z. lower his head in thought with a smirk when I glance at him, "-and I realize that boy is you, Z.Z. Simply put, you became a Dark Signer in order to achieve your goal for your younger sister. You-"

Z.Z. cuts him off by chuckling. It soon becomes a hysterical laugh… Okay…? "It appears that my accomplice has told you more than I could have ever imagined! Hahahah!" Z.Z. says. I perk up a bit when I hear the word 'accomplice'.

"Accomplice? You know exactly who I'm referring to then. Answer me. Who is the man who told me such a tale?" Yugi demands. Z.Z…. er…. Reizo…whoever, stops laughing and looks at me deviously.

"As for you, my lord. Talk about luck. Of. The. Draw," he says.

"It's not luck. It's through teamwork and determination we have avoided your attacks." Yugi states.

"You have a little speech for everything, don't you, _oh_ great one? You must be getting so tired of being right all the time," Z.Z. looks at Yugi with a newfound anger in his eyes, "I'll make the both of you regret ever existing! My sister will be avenged!" Z.Z. shouts while ripping the next card from his deck, "Draw!"

"…Ahh…" I choke out when my chest burns again. My hand comes up to it as I close my eyes.

" _The ideal tool for controlling people is fear, and nothing overwhelms people more than an unseen fear,"_ A masculine voice states in my mind.

" _Fear is your greatest enemy,"_ A female voice states, _"You must conquer the fear that live in your heart. Once you surpass it you are free!"_

Fear? Am I the one who's afraid? Have I always been the one who's afraid? Then I realize that I am. I am afraid. I'm afraid of losing control of my powers again. Of myself… I'm afraid of my true memories now. I'm afraid of losing Leo, Yusei, Jack, Aki, and even the twins forever… I'm… I'm afraid of getting close to Yugi all over again and losing him for good… I'm afraid of him leaving again… I've never really thought of myself like this before. It explains everything now. I'm afraid of all the secrecy that surrounds me… Death…and bloodshed…

" _Die…"_

I open my eyes with a newfound urge to destroy. Everything. All who get in my way.

"I completely understand where you're coming from, Reizo," Yugi calmly says, "As you've already witnessed, I still do. Leave the Dark Signers and join-"

"Betray _my_ comrades so easily? Never!" Z.Z. objects, "I activate _Shaddoll Gift_! I can draw until I have a full hand of cards once again. As every other gift, this one comes with a price. For every _Shaddoll_ monster I draw is immediately sent to the graveyard."

Z.Z. draws his cards and looks at them with a tedious expression. "I've drawn four _Shaddolls_ that'll be sent to the graveyard," He says while discarding those cards. He then slides a card into his duel disk.

"I'll then be activating _Dark Synchro Reborn_! As its name suggests, I can revive a Dark Synchro from either of our graveyards back to my side of the field in exchange for 1000 of my life points. It even gains 300 more attack points. Return to me once more, _Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis_!" A ray of dark light appears behind Z.Z. and reveals his Dark Synchro. **Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis ATK: 2800 DEF: 1600 lvl. -7; Ragnor, Murg Dievelkis ATK: 2800 to 3100;** **Z.Z.'s LP: 2150**

"Unfortunately, he can't attack because he was summoned with this effect, but…" Z.Z. slightly chuckles while activating another card. It appears on the field slightly next to him, "that won't be a problem. Because _Ragnor_ won't be able to attack, I can activate the _Shaddoll Retribution_ spell card. By removing the _Shaddolls_ in my graveyard from play, I can negate a monster of my choosing's effects for the rest this turn and lower its attack points to zero until my next drawing phase. And I'll be picking Naga." **Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 2900 to 0**

"What of it?" Yugi retorts while he watches a shadow fire-like ring constricts his dragon's neck.

"Ah-ah-ahh," Z.Z. responds, "It doesn't end there. Since I had to remove my _El Shaddoll Grysta_ from play previously, I can destroy a monster as well and remove it from play. Heheheh, the owner of chosen monster takes half of their attack points as piercing damage directly to their life points. Prepare to repent, Yugi. I've suffered countless times in my days before becoming a Dark Signer. Now it's your turn."

He then points a finger at _Ancient Pixie Dragon_. "And it starts by the destruction of that weakling monster you call a Duel Dragon! For the second and final time, toodles~!"

"Reizo, hold on-!" Yugi shouts. Yugi stops when Z.Z. responds in another fit of laughter.

"To what? I've just lost everything!" Z.Z. yells. I actually feel the shackles begin to sting me again. I don't move at all, even when a light shoots out of Z.Z.'s card. I guess in some feeble attempt to protect me, _Ancient Pixie Dragon_ gets in front of me. The potent light envelops her when her cries of pain reach my ears. Maybe about a millisecond goes by until the burning light hits me as well; it easily pushes me back into the purple fire. Once the attack ceases, I land back on the ground and end up kneeling down on one knee. **Ayame's LP: 200**

"That all you got?" I challenge.

Z.Z. chuckles as his response. "Be careful what you wish for, my lord. I end my turn, and with it, Naga regains his abilities. Yugi, I do hope that wasn't too over the edge for you. I personally haven't even gotten to you yet."

My eyes travel over to Yugi and see that he was lying on the ground. That last hit on me must've been strong enough to knock him off of his feet. He sits up and rests his knee on the ground as I stand on my own two feet again. My eyes study his face down. _'I wonder what it is…'_ My eyes return to him when I hear his rough voice.

"What's made you believe that the Dark Signers are of good use to you in your quest?" Yugi wonders while looking at Z.Z. curiously. He remains on one knee with a hand to his chest. It must be burning like mine is right now.

"They granted me power so I could destroy the world for them!" Z.Z. responds, "A power for those who detest the world they live in."

"So, instead of destroying the world for your sister you improperly exploit your granted powers by pushing others, against their will, into annihilating their own sisters?" Yugi counters.

I force myself to hold back a gasp while looking over to him as he slowly stands back up. His eyes….they're glowing sort of… But, I don't think they're supposed to be glowing like that. His eyes are thinly outlined by a red glow, I mean. He looks like he's having so much trouble resisting something that I can't put my finger on.

I try getting through to him mentally, but for the first time I can't. I'm not sure why either… Yugi narrows his eyes even more when Z.Z.'s voice can be heard. I'm slightly taken aback when I look at him. His left eye bears a glowing bird-shaped like symbol now, or is it a 'V' with the ends flaring outwards like a bird?

"Ah," He says in satisfaction with a triumphant-like smirk, "So you _do_ remember… It appears that there _is_ no time limit as well... Why wasn't that revealed to me in your memories, I wonder…"

I subconsciously take a step back for some reason. Am I…afraid of whatever power Z.Z. has? I… I can't think straight… I must destroy, first. So whatever's going on between these two is only delaying Z.Z.'s defeat. Then the thought comes to me. The thought that they know each other and have already met before today. _'Whatever…'_

"Tell me," Z.Z. implies, "What was it I told you to do again? Do refresh my memory."

Yugi narrows his oddly-glowing eyes. Whatever he's trying to resist seems to be winning from the looks of it. Is it Z.Z.'s words, maybe?

"Or better yet," Z.Z. suggests, "Show me."

After he says that, the symbol in his eye glows even brighter. Then, I feel like the link Yugi and I have is suddenly cut off completely…Like it disconnected or something because I don't feel _anything_ coming from him like I usually do. Nothing.

"I…" I turn too Yugi as he places his fingers on the top card of his deck; his eyes still have that weird glowing to them. They seemed to be full of anger, yet they've never looked so empty before… "Draw!" He shouts while drawing his card.

"I activate a field spell of my own," Yugi says as he inserts the card I think he's inserting inside of the field spell slot of his duel disk, "It goes by the name of _Silent Land_."

"Yugi, no!" Naga warns, but my brother doesn't seem to hear him.

"Yes, my lord!" Z.Z. encourages.

Yet again, we're transported out of the hospital; everything turns into a barren wasteland. Naga and _Dark Magician Girl_ begin to glow even. This field spell is just another one of Yugi's new cards that must've come with Naga probably. I look at his other monster and she expresses nothing but worry on her features as she's looking around the necropolis-looking field. I thought Yugi was completely against using this card…him and Naga. Why is it still in his deck?

"All Dark-Type monsters on my side of the field gain 500 more attack points," Yugi comments when both of his monsters gain power. **Silent Dragonoid Naga ATk: 0 to 500; Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 to 2500** Yugi's eyes only become more sinister-looking…Dare I say possessed even? I notice _Dark Magician Girl_ glow even brighter. A fragile thought shortly crosses my mind.

' _He… He wouldn't…'_ I tell myself. Destroying something that's a part of our bond on his own will for his personal gain is one of the last things he'd ever do.

"There's more," Yugi adds, "I activate an effect of _Silent Land_! By destroying _Dark Magician Girl_ -"

' _He would,'_ I correct myself.

"-and banishing her from my graveyard along with _Dark Magician Girl, Valkyria_ , Naga gains additional attack points equal to all other special summoned monsters on the field." _Dark Magician Girl_ vanquishes with a cry of her own before Naga is showered in the dust that she perished in.

"Interesting, now," Z.Z. smirks. **Silent Dragonoid Naga ATK: 500 to 3600**

Is he not worried? He doesn't have any face downs, and Naga just got stronger than his monster. That's only one of the effects of this field spell. I look up at Naga and see that he's seemed to have changed as well; he roars in response to his power upgrade. When I study his eyes, I realize that isn't Naga. I look back down to Yugi and make another note… That's not Yugi either; his eyes are glazed over in a crimson color or it could be because of everything in my vision _is_ crimson… Then… He just stands there silently.

"What's this?" Z.Z. questions, "I never took you for one who hesitates. Then again…" The symbol in Z.Z.'s left eye appears again, "you _are_ going against your own feeble willpower… Another power of the puzzle I do suppose. Although, every single one of us needs a little _push_ every once in a while, heheheh," The symbol then seems to expand out of his eye toward Yugi when Z.Z. says the word 'push'.

"Now, attack," Z.Z. orders.

My gaze shifts over to him in curiosity. His eyes widen right before he extends his hand out in front of him now. "Naga, attack Ayame directly!" Yugi orders.

I widen my eyes in pure shock. Is he kidding me? What kind of 'teamwork' is this?! He's betraying me _again_. Some part of me was beginning to think that he was sincere for regretting what he's done. I guess I was totally wrong. I was beginning to think that this ridiculous teamwork thing was actually working out. Yeah right. Does this mean he's on _their_ side, of all people, now?

"Yugi!?" I shout out to him in disbelief as Naga charges up his attack. His eyes remain on his own dragon nonetheless.

"Obliterate!" He yells, completely ignoring my call, " _Lunatic Burst_!"

Naga releases his fearful attack directly toward me. I take a step back and stare at the oncoming attack. First, he agrees to rewrite my memories. Second, he decides to leave. Thirdly, he wants to make-up just like that. Fourthly, he destroys a part of our already broken bond and decides to attack me after doing that? I never really thought I'd call my own brother the true enemy…

* * *

 **Yusei: Thirty-three pages? That's a bit much compared to your previous chapters.**

 **C.C.: *Looks up* Woah! Who put that last bit in there?!**

 **Kara: Me!~ I mean, you _were_ catching up on Rebirth before this idea came to my mind. **

**C.C.:... I like it... Huh... I think it's a start since neither of us have written in 5ever.**

 **Ayame: Really!? Another one!?**

 **C.C.: Another what?**

 **Everyone except the muses: Cliffhanger!**

 **C.C.: Hey, that was all Kara right there. Well...uh I'm sort of a little speechless... Review pretty please? *Walks away muttering* Now to edit that other story of mine...**


End file.
